... LP, Vinyl record album

Three albums on 2 CDs, each one with Monty Alexander on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, and Ray Brown on bass! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

With Harry Edison on trumpet, Jake Hanna on drums, Plas Johnson on saxophone, and Mike Melvoin on keyboards. LP, Vinyl record album

A live set from the Oscar Peterson Trio – with Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Peterson on piano – plus a little extra help from drummer Bobby Durham. Tracks include "Falling In Love With Love", "Billie's Bounce", and "I Wished On the Moon". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, Harry 'Sweets' Edison on trumpet, Jake Hanna on drums, Plas Johnson on saxophone, and Mike Melvoin on keyboards. CD

Really unusual large group work from bassist Ray Brown – already a key small combo player in the Verve Records universe, and here exploring some of the larger ideas in his music! The set features arrangements from Marty Paich – and players include Herb Geller on alto, Jimmy Giuffre on tenor, Pete Candoli on trumpet, and Herb Ellis on guitar – all working in a way that still allows Brown to get plenty of exposure, right up front in the mix! Brown is totally exposed on the haunting "Solo For Unaccompanied Bass" – and other titles include "Little Toe", "Alone Together", "Blues for Sylvia", and "All Of You". CD

Includes performances by Stan Getz, Jimmy Giuffre, Art Pepper, Ray Brown, Alvin Stoller and many more! CD

Features Ellis Marsalis on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Tracks include "Never Let Me Go", "Swinging At Heaven", "This Can't Be Love", "Sweet Georgia Brown", and "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans". CD

A pretty tasty little album from trumpeter Don Ellis – his first funky outing for Columbia Records, and a groundbreaking batch of funky big band material! The set's quite different from some of Don's earlier recordings – in that it's a bit less academic, and has a focus more on a strong and freewheeling groove. Plus, the use of electric instrumentation in the rhythm section creates the feel of a classic 70s soundtrack – quite different in style for the time, and sounding really fresh here – a mode that Ellis would inspire in so many other musicians to come! The group features Fender Rhodes from Mike Lang, sitar from Ray Neapolitan, congas from Chino Valdes, timbales and vibes from Mark Stevens, and a range of flutes and reeds – and titles include "Open Beauty", "Indian Lady", "Turkish Bath", "New Horizons", and "Alone". CD features single versions of "Turkish Bath" and "Indian Lady". CD

Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, Jack Hanna on drums, Plas Johnson on tenor saxophone, Harry Sweets Edison on trumpet, and George Duke on piano. CD

The Concord label gave guitarist Herb Ellis some of his greatest moments of the 70s – like this early cooker with guitarist Joe Pass – recorded live at the Concord Jazz Festival that gave the label its name! The 1973 performance has both players really opening up – never overwhelming each other, but driving with energy right from the start, then spacing out their own territory strongly on the solos. Backing is from bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jake Hanna – but the record leaves lots of room for guitar throughout – with tones and moments from both players that are a real surprise. Titles include "Seven Come Eleven", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Perdido", "Easy Living", and "Concord Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great Ray Brown LPs for Verve, featuring the legendary bassist in the company of Jerome Richardson, Herb Ellis, Osie Johnson, and Oscar Peterson (who plays organ on some cuts!). Cuts include "Jim", "Cool Walk", "Upstairs Blues", and "Bric a Brac". LP, Vinyl record album

Herb Ellis gets a hearty helping of horns on this set – working with key performances from Jimmy Giuffre, Charlie Mariano, and Harry Edison – all of whom really round out the sound of the record! Herb's guitar is certainly at the forefront of the record, but it's sitting nicely in a lineup that features Harry Edison on trumpet and Jimmy Giuffre on tenor sax, baritone, and clarinet – plus the alto of Charlie Mariano for all of side two of the record – and rhythm by Oscar Peterson on piano and Ray Brown on bass (with whom Ellis was then working in the Peterson Trio), plus Alvin Soller on drums. Ellis' solos dominate most of the record, but they're often set in some slightly tight, freshly modern, and unfortunately uncredited arrangements that have lots of Giuffre touches – warmed up considerably by Edison's trumpet. Titles include "Pogo", "Detour Ahead", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "A Simple Tune", "It Could Happen To You", and "Ellis In Wonderland". CD

Gentle-going genius from the later years of Satchmo's career – a session that has Louis on trumpet and vocals, backed by the Oscar Peterson Trio! Peterson's usual group with Herb Ellis and Ray Brown is expanded slightly for this outing – bringing in Louis Bellson on drums to syncopate the tunes a bit more strongly, and give them that gently swinging rhythm that always works well with Armstrong's style. The real surprise, though, is Louis' voice – which is simple, almost elegant at times – and free from some of the gimmicks of other 50s sessions, or the too-playful style of his better-known duets of the period. We really love his gentle, honest approach to the lyrics here – on tunes that include "I'll Never Be The Same", "Moon Song", "What's New", "There's No You", "You Go To My Head", "That Old Feeling", and "Let's Fall In Love". CD also features 4 bonus tracks – including "Let's Do It", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "Willow Weep For Me", and "Makin Whoopee". CD

Benny Carter on alto saxophone, Ray Brown on bass, Bobby White, Buddy Rich, and J.C. Heard on drums, Oscar Peterson on piano, Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis on guitar, and Bill Harris on trombone. CD

A real standout in Chris Connor's legendary run for Atlantic Records – and a unique double-length set that was almost her answer to some of the 2LP Verve songbook sessions from Ella Fitzgerald! Like those, this album's based upon the work of a single composer – and features key Gershwin compositions from the 20s and 30s, redone here with a moody, mellow, jazz-based approach – one that unlocks even more darkness in these tunes than you might expect! Instrumentation is by a number of different small groups – assemblages of players who include Joe Newman on trumpet, Sam Most on clarinet, Herbie Mann on flute, Milt Jackson on vibes, Al Cohn on tenor, and Ralph Sharon on piano – all working with arrangements by Sharon, Ray Ellis, and Stan Free. The album features a whopping 34 titles in all – with tracks that include "A Foggy Day", "Strike Up The Band", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "Little Jazzbird", "My One & Only", "That Certain Feeling", "Fascinating Rhythm", "Our Love Is Here To Stay", "Liza", "Soon", and "I Can't Be Bothered Now". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Strike Up The Band" and "Summertime", done in different takes. CD

2LP set of Roy Eldrige's classic Verve sides from the mid 50's, featuring the great trumpet player in a variety of groups that include Herb Ellis or Barney Kessel on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Oscar Peterson on piano and organ! The organ sides by Peterson are perhaps some of the most intriguing on the set, and they include "Love For Sale", "Dale's Wail", and "Oscar's Arrangement". Other tracks include "Little Jazz", "Roy's Riff", "Echoes Of Harlem", and "Feeling A Draft". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic pairing of postwar trumpets – those of Dizzy Gillespie and Roy Eldridge, each given plenty of space to speak their piece here in the best Verve all-star tradition! The group's great too – with Herb Ellis on guitar, Oscar Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Louis Bellson on drums. The album's got some sweet stretched out tracks that feature the two trumpet giants really opening up! CD

A strange pairing – but that's sometimes what makes these Verve "pro meets pro" sets from the 50s so great. Getz and Johnson are backed by Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, and Connie Kay – and the tracks are longish, with plenty of solo room in the open jam session mode of the recording. Titles include "Billie's Bounce", "My Funny Valentine", "Crazy Rhythm", and "Blues In The Closet". LP, Vinyl record album

A strange pairing – but that's sometimes what makes these Verve "pro meets pro" sets from the 50s so great. Getz and Johnson are backed by Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, and Connie Kay – and the tracks are longish, with plenty of solo room in the open jam session mode of the recording. Titles include "Billie's Bounce", "My Funny Valentine", "Crazy Rhythm", and "Blues In The Closet". LP, Vinyl record album

An all-star session put together by Verve in 1958 – one that features a septet of some of the label's biggest giants in jazz at the time! The format here is a bit open-ended – almost like some of the earlier JATP sessions on Verve – with lots of room for personal interaction between the soloists, especially the horn players in the lead! These include Stan Getz on tenor, Gerry Mulligan on baritone sax, and Harry Edison on trumpet – working alongside Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Louis Bellson on drums. Titles include a beautiful extended "Ballad Medley" – really a great illustration of the freedoms that Verve brought to jazz recording in the 50s – plus the titles"Chocolate Sundae", "When Your Lover Has Gone", and "Candy". CD

A really special set of late work from Coleman Hawkins – shorter numbers, but played with plenty of flair with a small combo that also includes Oscar Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass, Herb Ellis on guitar, and Alvin Stoller on drums! CD

A classic set in the best Verve Records mode – as these two mature giants of the tenor sax get lots of room to open up and solo with a great rhythm section at the core! Both Hawkins and Webster have a fantastic sense of tone and timing – and the space of the record really lets you hear the charms of both in equal measure – with backing from Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Alvin Stoller on drums. The best tracks have lots of room – plenty of space so that the tenors aren't "encountering" each other in too close of quarters, with space to express themselves freely – and titles include "Blues For Yolande", "Rosita", "Shine On Harvest Moon", and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Billie's last recordings, and an incredibly striking batch of songs arranged by Ray Ellis with a sad, fragile ege that's perfect for the style of her later work. Billie's voice is faltering, but in a way that only makes the songs sound more personal and more compelling – and although most of the tunes on the set are standards, Billie's presentation of them completely transforms the numbers, and we can bet you'll never heard these songs the same way again after hearing this album! Titles include "Violets For Your Furs", "You've Changed", "But Beautiful", "Glad To Be Unhappy", "I'll Be Around", and "I'm A Fool To Want You". LP, Vinyl record album

Accompanied by Ray Ellis and orchestra. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

With Edo G and Esoteric on "Shut Sh*t Down", with remixes by 7L. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A host of rare gems from the early years of Lee Perry's legendary Black Ark studios – material recorded by Scratch himself, on some cuts featuring The Upsetters, others some close contemporaries – but all nicely unified here by contributions from Lee at just about every level! As with other Pressure Sounds collections, the approach here is wonderful – way past the entry-level reggae collections you might get elswhere, but also not overwhelmed with trainspotter attention to rareness over quality – as the cuts here are all pretty darn great, and feature many gems from the early reggae years that really show Perry's diversity past his own recordings. The set includes a number of Upsetters version recordings of vocal tunes – and titles include "Set Yourself Up" by The Upsetters, "Brotherly Love" by Henrick Nicholson, "Roots Train (previously unreleased dub plate mix)" by Junior Murvin, "Woman Gotta Have Love (previously unreleased dub plate mix)", "Say A Little Prayer (12" mix)" by Eric Donaldson, "Mr Cravin" by Junior Murvin, "Such Is Life (version)" by The Upsetters, "Nu Fi Run It Down" by Danny Clarke, "Ska Baby" by Bobby Ellis, and "Such Is Life" by Lord Creator. LP, Vinyl record album

A massive batch of music – and almost as worth it for the overall package as it is for the great tunes inside! Like other volumes in this series, this set is beautifully put together – not only stuffed with an amazing array of classic soul from a key year in the 60s – but also done with a full color booklet that's over 60 pages long – filled with track-by-track notes on the tunes, and filled with great photos, images, and historical data! The whole thing's a perfect soul music time capsule – with the depth of production that we've always loved in Bear Family releases for other genres. Titles include "Neighbor Neighbor" by Jimmy Hughes, "Baby" by Carla Thomas, "Tell It Like It Is" by Aaron Neville, "Hold On I'm Coming" by Sam & Dave, "Cool Jerk" by The Capitols, "Barefootin" by Robert Parker, "Stop Her On Sight" by Edwin Starr, "Darling Baby" by The Elgins, "She Blew A Good Thing" by The Poets, "You've Got My Mind Messed Up" by James Carr, "A Sweet Woman Like You" by Joe Tex, "I'm Gonna Miss You" by The Artistics, "Stay With Me" by Lorraine Ellison, and "Ain't Nobody Home" by Howard Tate. CD

A host of rare gems from the early years of Lee Perry's legendary Black Ark studios – material recorded by Scratch himself, on some cuts featuring The Upsetters, others some close contemporaries – but all nicely unified here by contributions from Lee at just about every level! As with other Pressure Sounds collections, the approach here is wonderful – way past the entry-level reggae collections you might get elswhere, but also not overwhelmed with trainspotter attention to rareness over quality – as the cuts here are all pretty darn great, and feature many gems from the early reggae years that really show Perry's diversity past his own recordings. The set includes a number of Upsetters version recordings of vocal tunes – and titles include "Set Yourself Up" by The Upsetters, "Brotherly Lvoe" by Henrick Nicholson, "Roots Train (previously unreleased dub plate mix)" by Junior Murvin, "Woman Gotta Have Love (previously unreleased dub plate mix)", "Say A Little Prayer (12" mix)" by Eric Donaldson, "Mr Cravin" by Junior Murvin, "Such Is Life (version)" by The UPsetters, "Nu Fi Run It Down" by Danny Clarke, "Ska Baby" by Bobby Ellis, "Such Is Life" by Lord Creator, and "Oh Me Oh My" by Bree Daniels. CD