Live date recorded at Birdland with Davis and Stitt on tenor, Doc Bagby on organ and Charlie Rice on drums. CD

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Two different quartet sessions – the first with Al Haig, Tommy Potter, and Roy Haynes; the second with Horace Silver, Joe Calloway, and Walt Bolden. CD

A smoking set of all-star performances – recorded at Carnegie Hall in 1954, and with a sense of tremendous talent that may well blow away some of the Jazz At The Philharmonic sets of the time! The material here is heavy on Count Basie performances – excellent material from that period when he was really hitting full power again on Verve – with strong solos from Frank Foster and Frank Wess on reeds, plus work from Joe Newman on trumpet! Lester Young's tenor also joins Basie's group at one point – and Sarah Vaughan sings with the group too – but the set also features some more Verve-like performances – from Charlie Parker on alto, and Billie Holiday on vocals, who gets almost one side of the record to herself. There's a huge amount of material on the double-length set – and titles include "My Funny Valentine", "Cool Blues", and "The Song Is You" by Charlie Parker; "Them There Eyes", "My Man", and "Lover Man" by Billie Holiday; "Saturday", "Time", "That Old Devil Moon", and "Don't Blame Me" by Sarah Vaughan; and "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Sure Thing", "Perdido", "Blues Backstage", and "You For Me" by Count Basie. LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal sounds from the great Bud Powell – recorded right at an early moment when the pianist was bursting into Birdland fame – working here with a key trio that features Curley Russell on bass and a young Max Roach on drums! Bud seems to have a bit more color in his keys here than in later years – a sense of tone that's balanced by his increasingly deft flights on the keys – that amazing command of imagination and energy that makes a record like this one of the best bold statements of modernism from the bop generation. Many tunes are older standards, but transformed in Bud's hands – partly given a nod to the midtown modes from other players of the postwar years, then completely dismantled once the solos take off. Titles include "Buds Bubble", "Burt Covers Bud", "Off Minor", "I Should Care", "I'll Remember April", and "Everything Happens To Me". CD features 16 tracks in all! CD

Way before Sinatra first grabbed the "Chairman Of The Board" title for his own musical persona, Basie laid great claim to the tag with this tight little album for Roulette! The album's got the 50s Basie band working at the height of their powers – with original compositions written and arranged by Frank Foster, Ernie Wilkins, Thad Jones, and Frank Wess – all of whom play in the bad, along with other all-stars like Freddie Green, Billy Mitchell, and Al Grey. The sound is tight, soulful, and searing Basie all the way through – with tunes that include "Segue In C", "Blues In Hoss' Flat", "Who Me?", "The Deacon", "Half Moon Street", "Mutt & Jeff", "TV Time", "Speaking Of Sounds", and "HRH". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Fair & Warmer" and "Moten Swing". CD

Way before Sinatra first grabbed the "Chairman Of The Board" title for his own musical persona, Basie laid great claim to the tag with this tight little album for Roulette! The album's got the 50s Basie band working at the height of their powers – with original compositions written and arranged by Frank Foster, Ernie Wilkins, Thad Jones, and Frank Wess – all of whom play in the bad, along with other all-stars like Freddie Green, Billy Mitchell, and Al Grey. The sound is tight, soulful, and searing Basie all the way through – with tunes that include "Segue In C", "Blues In Hoss' Flat", "Who Me?", "The Deacon", "Half Moon Street", "Mutt & Jeff", "TV Time", "Speaking Of Sounds", and "HRH". LP, Vinyl record album

One of THE seminal Basie albums of all time – and a masterful pairing between the Count and arranger Neal Hefti! Hefti has an amazing ear for the Basie groove, and he works here to re-fit the overall sound of the group with a tighter, more fluid approach – one that ensured that they'd be alive and booming well into the 60s. The Hefti touch is one that's slightly lighter than the Basie of before – one that assumes the bump at the bottom, but never overdoes it – and instead almost uses the sound of no sound at all to carry the rhythm – while the horns at the top of the group are vamping around in these majestic charts that break out into fantastically searing solos. Basie's on piano, natch – and other players include Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Henry Coker, Al Grey, Frank Wess, Frank Foster, and Eddie Lockjaw Davis. Titles are all brilliant Hefti originals – and include "After Supper", "Flight Of The Foo Birds", "Teddy The Toad", "Splanky", "Fantail", and "Lil Darlin". CD features 5 bonus tracks too – including "The Late Late Show", "Sleepwalker's Serenade", and "Silks & Satins". CD

A great CD set that features incredible material from John Coltrane – a rare session for Roulette as a split LP with Lee Morgan! The CD features the side of Coltrane's work – which features him playing with an unusual quartet that includes McCoy Tyner, plus bassist Steven Davis and drummer Billy Higgins. Higgins' gives Coltrane a modal groove that's incredible, and Trane hits these riffs that are almost Nathan Davis-ish on tracks like "Exotica", presented in 2 versions, plus "Like Sonny" and "One & Four". The CD also features 5 bonus tracks from another rare Coltrane session from 1958 – one of the only albums ever cut as a leader by Ray Draper, a jazz tuba player, with an approach to the instrument that's a lot better than you might think! Draper plays the tuba like the best baritone saxophonists – using the lower registers of the instrument to groove around in tight step with the basslines, but always still managing to swing – a remarkable feat, given the heaviness of the instrument! Draper's talents were quite respected at the time – both by Jackie McLean, who used him on a record, and by John Coltrane, who makes a rare appearance here as a sideman on the set! The mixture of Coltrane's angularity and Draper's bassiness is sublime – and the album's filled with great tracks that have a fresh late 50s modernist hardbop approach. Titles include "Essii"s Dance", "Yesterdays", "Oleo", and "Doxy". CD

One of Chris Connor's most obscure albums from the 60s – and one of her nicest too! The record's got a less polished feel than some of Connor's work for Atlantic or ABC – recorded live at the Village Gate, and divided up into "late" and "early" shows that both have a slightly different spirit. Backing is by a small group that includes Mundell Lowe on guitar, Ronnie Ball on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Ed Shaunessy on drums – and the liveness of the recording really comes through, in a way that gets more at the boozy Chris of late nite clubs than you'd hear on most of her studio albums. Titles include "All Or Nothing At All", "Old Devil Moon", "Goodbye", "Only The Lonely", "Black Coffee", "Ten Cents A Dance", and "Only The Lonely". CD

Despite any prejudice you might have against Maynard Ferguson, he actually does a damn good job backing up Chris Connor's lovely voice on this record – probably because his band is super-hip, and includes players like Jaki Byard, Joe Farrell, and Rufus Jones. Connor is in fine icy form, as usual – and it's nice to hear her get a bit more jazzy backing than some of the more somber arrangements you'll hear on her Atlantic sessions. Titles include "The Wind", "Send For Me", "Where Do You Go?", and "Deep Song". CD

A really great album by Billy Eckstine – much more swinging and upbeat than some of his other 50s sessions, and with a strongly pronounced jazz flair overall! The album's supposedly recorded live in Vegas in the wee hours of the morning, and features Billy blowing a bit of trumpet as well as singing – all set to some nicely thumping orchestrations by Bobby Tucker, who really knows how to hit the right groove for this sort of a set. Titles include "Lady Luck", "Have A Song On Me", "Deed I Do", "Without A Song", "Moonlight In Vermont", and "Lush Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Forget what you think about Ferguson – this is a very hip album! Sure, Maynard's a bit hokey on the solos – but he's surrounded himself with a wonderful group that includes Jaki Byard, Don Menza, Willie Maiden, Lanny Morgan, Don Rader, and Rufus Jones. The tracks are a lot edgier than you'd expect – hard swinging in a big band mode, but with breakaway solos that really groove, and an overall tightness that never lets up. The tracks were composed for a TV show about car racing called Straightaway – and that's probably why the tracks have such a dramatic flair, sounding almost like those on some of the best crime jazz scores of the late 50s. Titles include "Mambo La Mans", "Cocky Scott", "Up Shift", "After The Race", "Stroking", and "Pit Stop". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic trio session from Charles Mingus – one of the few he ever recorded! The set's got Mingus on bass, working with regular drummer Danny Richmond and pianist Hampton Hawes – an unusual choice for the record, but a player whose sense of freedom and intensity at this point really helps bring in some of the energy of some of the larger group recordings from Mingus! Hawes' incredible piano lines really fly over the top, and Mingus' bass comes to the forefront as well – getting plenty of room for personal elements that Charles never got as strongly in the larger sessions. The set list includes a mix of originals and standards, with "Back Home Blues", "Hamp's New Blues", "Dizzy Moods", and "Laura". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic lost material by Lalo Schifrin – recorded in a style that's very similar to the excellent work he was doing for Dizzy Gillespie's group in the early 60s! The record features Leo Wright, also from Diz's group, playing some excellent alto and flute – and Jimmy Raney plays guitar in a stretched-out modal way that works perfectly with Schifrin's Latin-tinged grooves. The whole thing's a very complex batch of Latin influenced jazz tracks – and the record is one of Schifrin's best from the time, and darn hard to find! Titles include "The Snake's Dance", "Kush", "Mount Olive", "Cubano Be", and "Sphayros". CD

An album recorded relatively early in the career of singer Nina Simone – but a set that already shows the very unique approach that would make her a legend by the time the 60s moved on! Even the very first tune is a stunner – a haunting reworking of the favorite "Just In Time", but with Nina grunting instead of singing at the start – as the bass comes across with more power than the drums or piano – really shaping the song in moody tones! That sort of inventiveness follows on every other tune – making the familiar numbers sound very unique, and the unusual ones even more striking – as the set list also features numbers by Oscar Brown Jr, Olatunji, and Simone herself. The recording quality is great – intimate, yet lively – and the set's filled with longish readings of some great tunes that include "Bye Bye Blackbird", "Brown Baby", "Zungo", "Children Go Where I Send You", and "He Was Too Good To Me". CD

Joe Williams is away from Count Basie here, and he's still sounding great – and getting a slightly warmer approach overall – in keeping with the promise of the title! The arrangements aren't credited on the notes, but they've got a slightly lusher feel than Basie – a bit more strings on the ballads, which sound great with Williams' vocals – and a tighter, jazzier feel on some of the groovers – which still evoke a bit of the older days. Whatever the setting, Joe's got a way of putting over a tune that's simply tremendous – as you'll hear on titles that include "Just As Though You Were Here", "When Did You Leave Heaven", "Somebody", "Darn That Dream", "Stella By Starlight", "When A Woman Loves A Man", "I Only Want To Love You", and "With Every Breath I Take". LP, Vinyl record album

Produced by Tommy James. LP, Vinyl record album

Duke joins the combo of Louis Armstrong on piano – a group that includes Trummy Young on trombone and Barney Bigard on clarinet! CD

Not as "adult" as you might think – at least given the way the word is used today – but pretty great work by Pearl nonetheless! The tunes themselves are a bit "blue" in terms of subject matter – tales of girls with hot pants, loose love, and the kind of backroom hijinks that weren't always talked about so freely in the torch singer era. But given the time, and the setting, the tunes are still pretty soft on the subjects – and get the themes across through clever turns of phrase, slight innuendo, and just the right intonation at the right time – a style that makes Pearl Bailey perfect for the work! Titles include "I Want A Man", "She Had To Go & Lose It At The Astor", "The Physician", "Josephine", "Zip", "Flings", "You Can Be Replaced" and "Legalize My Name". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most hard-hitting Count Basie albums from the Roulette Records years – and that's saying a lot, given the power of Basie at the time! The set was recorded in Sweden, with a kind of triple-time energy that really has the whole thing burning right from the start – as the group's driven onward by some bold work on drums from Louis Bellson – who's working here with a lineup that includes Frank Wess and Frank Foster on tenor, Marshall Royal on alto, and Thad Jones on trumpet. There's a slight rawness to the recording – still as clear as other Roulette sessions, but with a bit more "liveness" too – a sense of place that really helps the performances sparkle. The whole thing's great – and titles include "Little Pony", "Plymouth Rock", "Backwater Blues", "Who Me", and "April In Paris". LP, Vinyl record album

Billy Eckstine gets a new lease on life – working here with great backings from the Count Basie band, in a mode that's a bit like some of Billy's own large ensemble recordings of the mid 40s! The sound is a bit more Basie-inflected than before, but that also unlocks some great swinging, soulful currents in Eckstine's vocals – modes that maybe weren't coming through as strongly in some of his pop material of the time, but which are right at home in the company of the Count! The material's great, too – darker, more brooding tunes – of the sort that Joe Williams might sing with the group – and the balance of presentation often gives equal time to vocals and instrumental passages in the spotlight. Titles include "Blues The Mother Of Sin", "Lonesome Lover Blues", "Drifting", "I Want A Little Girl", and "Song Of The Wanderer". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest, grooviest Tony Bennett albums you could ever hope to buy – a really wonderful album that features backings by the Count Basie band, in the best swinging mode of their Roulette Records years! Tony always had a lot of jazz in his sound, but this album's a really special one – and quite different than the gentler territory of his later jazz efforts with Bill Evans – instead a record that really pushes that strong vocal range that Bennett always had on his pop singles of the 50s, but refocuses the sound towards a deeper Basie mode. Arrangements are by Ralph Sharon, Tony's usual accompanist – but the sound is pure Basie all the way through! Titles include "Life Is A Song", "Plenty Of Money", "Strike Up The Band", "Poor Little Rich Girl", "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face", and "Growing Pains". CD

An explosive moment of greatness from the legendary Art Blakey – a record that takes off immediately, thanks to help from a young lineup that features Bobby Watson on alto, Valery Ponomarev on trumpet, and Dave Schnitter on tenor – three talents who would go onto become jazz legends in their own right – really helping Blakey hit some new energy here in the mid 70s! The trio are wonderful – and Watson adds some especially soulful elements to the record with his great compositions. Walter Davis Jr is on piano – reunited with Blakey in a great way, and bringing in some tunes of his own too – and the group's completed by Dennis Irwin on bass. Titles include"Jodi", "Hawkman", "Cami", and "Gypsy Folk Tales". LP, Vinyl record album

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The debut album of The Fallen Angels – one of those great late 60s psych groups who were signed up in a big mid-decade frenzy, got a chance to record some superb work, then were almost completely ignored by their record label! The group have a vibe that's right on the same cusp that the LA scene was hitting at the time – clearly band members with earlier garage, blues, and maybe even a bit of folk experience – coming together in headier territory with plenty of fuzz on the guitar, mixed with all sorts of other weird touches along the way – including sitar, vibes, celeste, kazoo, and even a bit of soft shoe! There's clearly a nice sense of wit in the proceedings – and even though mostly-pop Roulette Records didn't do a thing with the record, it's gone on to become a well-deserved underground treasure over the years. Titles include "Painted Bird", "Introspective Looking Glass", "Your Mother's Homesick Too", "You Have Changed", "No Way Out", "Room At The top", and "Your Friends Here In Dunderville". LP, Vinyl record album

Very hiply swinging work from Maynard Ferguson – not as Latin-based as you might think from the title, but great nonetheless! The record features an excellent group that includes Don Rader on trumpet, Lanny Morgan on alto, Rufus Jones on drums, and Don Menza on tenor – all tightly wrapped around Maynard's baton, grooving with a style that's at once impeccably unified, but also very able to make room for the well-blown solo. Titles include "Morgan's Organ", "Si Si MF", "What'll I Do", "Early Hours", "Morgan Point", and "Straight Out". A real groover! CD

Very hiply swinging work from Maynard Ferguson – not as Latin-based as you might think from the title, but great nonetheless! The record features an excellent group that includes Don Rader on trumpet, Lanny Morgan on alto, Rufus Jones on drums, and Don Menza on tenor – all tightly wrapped around Maynard's baton, grooving with a style that's at once impeccably unified, but also very able to make room for the well-blown solo. Titles include "Morgan's Organ", "Si Si MF", "What'll I Do", "Early Hours", "Morgan Point", and "Straight Out". A real groover! LP, Vinyl record album

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A real corker from Machito – a set that's got a lot more bite and earthy fire than some of his other albums of the 50s – as you might be able to guess from the cover and the title! The record definitely lives up to the Afro-Cuban promise on the front – thanks to very hip arrangements from Mario Bauza and AK Salim – who balance core rhythmic elements with some great modern jazz solo contributions – from key players who include Johnny Griffin on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Joe Newman on trumpet, and Eddie Bert on trombone – all coming together under Machito's leadership with a sound that's much bolder than most of his work in a straighter Latin mode! The album's a key meeting of styles – as powerful today as it was when first recorded – and tracks include the great "Congo Mulence", a very tight groover – plus "Turuato", "Frenzy", "Cannonology", "Minor Rama", and "Wild Jungle". CD

Evocative piano portraits from Phineas Newborn – played in an illustrative style that's mighty nice! Newborn's got a touch on the keys that's like few other players we can think of – rich and full, yet without being too flowery or sentimental – a really nice balance that stands out best at this key point in his career. Trio backing is important to the sound, too – thanks to sensitive drum work from Roy Haynes, and very subtle bass from John Simmons. Titles include "Star Eyes", "Golden Earrings", "For Left Hand Only", "Chelsea Bridge", and "Caravan". LP, Vinyl record album

Features George Duvivier on bass, Art Taylor on drums, and Powell on piano. Tracks include "Billie's Bounce", "Shaw Nuff", "Ko Ko", "Ornithology", "Dewey Square", and "Moose The Mooche". CD

This ex-Kentonite leads a group of modernists (Frank Socolow, Don Sebesky, Bill Elton) through a suite of his excellent original compositions, including "An Esthete on Clark Street", "Pickwick", and "The Golden Apple", plus a reading of "Manteca" that's pretty cool and angular. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most high-concept albums ever recorded by Bill Russo – a full suite of tracks dedicated to the Seven Deadly Sins, and scored with a level of sophistication to match the Stan Kenton group at its modernist height! Although the overall feel is jazz, there's also a fair bit of more serious modes too – almost 20th Century classical at points, or at least some soundtrack sophistication. The tunes are awash in dark colors, and players include Don Sebesky and Eddie Bert on trombones, Burt Collins and Lou Mucci on trumpets, Larry Wilcox on tenor, and Howard Collins on guitar – plus a section of cellos as well. Titles, as you might expect, include "Greed", "Lechery", "Gluttony", "Anger", "Envy", and "Sloth". LP, Vinyl record album

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The Johnny Smith sound is a wonderful one – not just the sound that he makes with his groundbreaking work on the strings of the guitar, but also the way he records the instrument – which set a new standard in jazz guitar albums, and also helped pave the way for countless generations to come! A date like this is a great example of the standard-setting work that Smith was able to give us in his prime – and the approach slightly updates the Smith guitar sound of the early 50s – clarifying it a bit, but still keeping that great tone right out front – with a group that includes Hank Jones on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Ed Shaughnessey on drums. Titles include "Misty", "Embraceable You", "Blues Chorale", "Prelude", "As Long As There's Music", and "Round Midnight". CD

A beautiful document of some of the most laidback jazz ever recorded – the sublime 50s recordings of the Johnny Smith group, done at a time when the lineup included Stan Getz! The tunes on the set feature Johnny's mellow electric guitar setting the pace, alongside wonderfully-blown early solos from Stan, plus some other tenor work from Zoot Sims and Paul Quinichette, who also sit in the tenor chair on a few of these recordings. The tunes are mostly standards, but done in a great style that's not exactly cool jazz, but which has a groundbreakingly easy groove that's simply sublime! 16 tracks in all, with titles that include "Vilia", "Jaguar", "Tabu", "Cavu", "I'll Be Around", "Moonlight In Vermont", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "Tenderly", and "Ghost Of A Chance". CD

Stitt hits the Varitone for Roulette, and while his work isn't as funky as that of Eddie Harris or Lou Donaldson, the instrument lets him get in a nice raw tone, with a good honest edge that comes through despite backing by a largeish group. Other players include Ernie Hayes on organ, Walter Perkins on drums, and JJ Johnson on trombone – and the set includes short tracks like "Round Midnight", "Beastly Blues", "Jumpin With Symphony Sid", and "Morgan's Song". LP, Vinyl record album

A perfect title for a perfect album from Sarah Vaughan – one of those wonderful dates from the singer's second chapter of her career – a time when she was finding newly sophisticated ways to spin out her songs! The music here is arranged by Jimmy Jones – who makes things lush, but never too much so – this beautiful balance he brought to other records of the time, such as his work with Basie – in a way that has Vaughan very much out front in the mix, working her voice with effortless ease, announcing to the world that she's one of the all-time greats, but never has to hit anyone over the head to prove it! Harry Sweets Edison provides some great trumpet lines to underscore the jazz in the music – and titles include "Dreamy", "Hands Across The Table", "Moon Over Miami", "I'll Be Seeing You", "Star Eyes", "Trees", and "Crazy He Calls Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic Roulette Records material from Sarah Vaughan – and exactly the kind of set that demonstrates the new level of maturity she hit at the label! The cover and title might make you expect a Wee Small Hours sort of record, but the approach is more varied, and really shows off all of Sarah's strengths – thanks to arrangements by Benny Carter that are full of subtle, but powerful shades and tones – which Vaughan then takes over, and really uses to push with her voice – perfect on both the powerful ballads and the more upbeat material. Titles include "Lonely Hours", "Solitude", "So Long My Love", "What'll I Do", and "Always On My Mind" – all with a wonderfully mature, slightly boozy sound. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from Dinah Washington – a singer who's really hitting her stride here during her years for Roulette Records – with a vibe that's maybe her most mature, most sophisticated to date! Washington still has currents of her bluesy roots in her approach, but she's also moving into this boozy mode that's almost more human and heartfelt overall – a contrast to the brassy style of her earlier vocals, almost as if the world's challenges have brought her so much more learning, she's able to bring that experience to bear in her songs. The prime example of this is the excellent "Drinking Again" – one of Dinah's standards of the 60s, and a tune that's performed perfectly here – thanks to help from Fred Morman's orchestrations. But the whole album's equally great – and other tracks include "Miss You", "A Handful of Stars", "Destination Moon", "You're Nobody Til Somebody Loves You", and "Where Are You". LP, Vinyl record album

Dinah Washington's in love – and clearly bought a new hat to celebrate – but, as with her other albums of this time, the overall sound is quite moody and touched with melancholy – that sublime blend that Washington brought to her music in the later years of her too-short life! Even Don Costa's charts can't brighten things up too much – even though he tries with some strings and occasional backing vocals – as once Dinah comes into the mix, she makes all the tunes completely her own – almost like these solo moments in the spotlight, as short soliloquies to love and loss. Titles include "Fly Me To The Moon", "I Didn't Know About You", "Our Love", "If It's The Last Thing I Do", "My Devotion", and "That's My Desire". CD

A great early session by alto genius Bobby Watson – recorded for Roulette, probably through his association with Art Blakey, who was also recording for the label at the time. The set's a nice batch of original tunes – done in a fully arranged, professionally produced jazz style that's surprising, considering Watson's later work, but still very nice, in kind of a 70s R&B fusion sort of way – but one that still lets Bobby get in plenty of solo space! Players include Terumasa Hino, Pat Patrick, Charles Davis, Walter Davis, and Curtis Lundy – and Pamela Watson sings a bit of vocals on the album. Titles include a great early version of his classic "Time Will Tell", plus "Hum For The People", "Reachin, Searchin", "NYC", and "Take A Ride On Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A vocal jazz classic! Joe Williams had come to great fame as the singer with the Basie band during the 50s, but this beautiful album is unlike his usual work with the group – and shows a sophisticated vocal side of Joe that's really amazing. The album was arranged by Jimmy Mundy, with lush backings that bring out a sensitive side to Joe's rich voice – heartbreaking on most tracks, as you'd probably guess by the album's title. The mix of ballads features a few familiar numbers from the late 50s, plus some real charmers from earlier years that Joe reinterprets on his own level. Titles include "What's New?", "A Man Ain't Supposed To Cry", "Say It Isn't So", "Can't We Talk It Over?", "I'm Through With Love", and "I'll Never Smile Again". A wonderful treasure from the years when Roulette was cutting some of the most sophisticated vocal sessions in America! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more obscure albums by Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross – a session of Basie tunes, performed with backing by the Count, plus additional lead vocals by Joe Williams, the voice most closely associated with the Basie group at the time! The style is similar to the trio's Sing A Song Of Basie album for ABC, but handled here with a bit more of an edge, and a rougher, more freewheeling groove that's a better fit for the great Basie sound of the late 50s – a great adaptation of the groove by Jon Hendricks, Dave Lambert, and Annie Ross! The record's a nice sometimes-overlooked chapter in the excellent Count Basie run on Roulette – and titles include "Every Tub", "Rusty Dusty Blues", "The King", "Shorty George", and "Let Me See". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from one of the greatest pairings in 50s jazz – the crack later group of Count Basie and the amazing arranging talents of the great Neal Hefti! Hefti later went onto greater fame as a 60s soundtrack composer, but back in the day him and Basie were an incredible team together – as Hefti's talent for quirky, witty, whimsical horn passages really opened up the Basie sound of earlier years – and took the band far past any Kansas City cliches, into a groove that was much more suited for a modern audience! This album's one of the best the two ever cut together – and it's overflowing with Hefti gems that include "Cute", "Pensive Miss", "Sloo Foot", "Scoot", "A Little Tempo Please", "Count Down", and "Pony Tail". CD

Frank Foster is one of our favorite talents in jazz – an excellent tenorist who spent some of his key years in the Count Basie orchestra, but a player who also had a very rich career on his own as well! This album features Frank's talents really coming to the forefront of the Basie group – in a set of all-original material penned and arranged by Foster – really fresh tunes that are a perfect fit for the soulful spirit of the reedman's collaborators in the group, and which definitely show off the growing talents of Foster as a composer. There's a lot more going on here than you might expect – some surprisingly complicated charts for the horns, yet still with that rock-solid swing you'd expect from Basie – and most tracks are longer than usual for a Roulette album, nicely open numbers that include "Brotherly Shove", "Easin It", "Blues For Daddy-O", "Four Five Six", and "Mama Dev". LP, Vinyl record album

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All the hits! Includes "Crimson & Clover", "Hanky Panky", "I Think We're Alone Now", "Sweet Cherry Wine", "Mony Mony", "Crystal Blue Persuasion", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

We're sure you know the group from their mega-hit oldie title cut – a garagey tune with a very catchy hook – but you might also appreciate them for the soulful finish they put on other tracks on this set, clearly inspired by groups on Atlantic, and going for a blue-eyed soul approach that they're not always known for. Titles include "Soul Searchin Baby", "Lots Of Pretty Girls", "Shake A Tail Feather", "Good Lovin", "The Lover", and "Love Makes The World Go Round". LP, Vinyl record album

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The cover image of a nude couple running in a field should be more than enough to recommend this one – but the music is equally great, and surprisingly groovy! We know little about Morning Dew (do you?), but they've got a really weird sound that's almost a fuzzed-up and free-thinking take on an earlier east coast rock style of the 60s. The approach isn't really garage rock, although there's plenty of garagey overtones – especially in the way the guitars are recorded – and it's not that psychedelic, either, although it certainly is trippier than most of the more mainstream work of the time. Let's just say that the spirit of this one is very clearly caught up in the forced innocence of the cover image – unbridled joy on the face of things, but with a darker current running underneath. Titles include "Save Me", "Something You Say", "Gypsy", "Cherry Street", "Then Came The Light", and "Crusader's Smile". CD

One side of music from The Peach Thief – the other of music from The Liars, International Detective, The Cheaters, The Spider's Web, and Man From Interpol. LP, Vinyl record album

Incredibly hip big band work from trumpeter Herb Pomeroy – proof that the Boston influence in the 50s was a very good force in modern jazz! The group here is large, but the sound is often quite lean – done with an open focus on the strongest soloists in the group – players who include Joe Gordon on trumpet, Jaki Byard and Boots Mussulli on saxes, and Ray Santisi on piano. The style is swinging and modern, but never too academic or Kenton-styled – and the driving solos on the record are quite heartfelt, and never hokey. Great stuff all around, with titles that include "Blue Grass", "Wolafunt's Lament", "Theme For Terry", "Less Talk", "Big Man", "Feather Merchant", "Our Delight", and "Aluminum Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

Features George Duvivier on bass, Art Taylor on drums, and Powell on piano. Tracks include "Billie's Bounce", "Shaw Nuff", "Ko Ko", "Ornithology", "Dewey Square", and "Moose The Mooche". CD

British jazzman Johnny Scott leads a larger orchestra in a set of serious and dramatic pieces for this 60s film that paired Sherlock Holmes and Jack The Ripper (how many of these were made over the years?) The mood of the music is stark and dramatic – mostly going for the sort of string-heavy horror approach that you'd expect, but occasionally hitting some lighter modes. LP, Vinyl record album

With Dean Earl on piano, Bernie Griggs on bass, and Marquis Foster on drums. Tracks include "Indiana", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Flyin' Home", and "Body And Soul". CD

Sarah Vaughan gets some great backings here from Quincy Jones – who brings a nice sort of punch to the record, and makes it one of her grooviest from the early 60s! The style's still somewhat traditional – not as much in moddish Jones modes from a few years later – but there's already that strong sense of syncopation that really sets Quincy's charts apart, the same sort of rhythms he brought to his Reprise arrangements for Frank Sinatra and Count Basie, although not as Basie-bombastic overall. Vaughan's vocals are still beautifully smooth in the setting, and titles include "I Could Write A Book", "Maria", "Baubles Bangles & Beads", "So Long", "You're Mine You", "Moonglow", and "Invitation". LP, Vinyl record album

Sarah Vaughan gets some great backings here from Quincy Jones – who brings a nice sort of punch to the record, and makes it one of her grooviest from the early 60s! The style's still somewhat traditional – not as much in moddish Jones modes from a few years later – but there's already that strong sense of syncopation that really sets Quincy's charts apart, the same sort of rhythms he brought to his Reprise arrangements for Frank Sinatra and Count Basie, although not as Basie-bombastic overall. Vaughan's vocals are still beautifully smooth in the setting, and titles include "I Could Write A Book", "Maria", "Baubles Bangles & Beads", "So Long", "You're Mine You", "Moonglow", and "Invitation". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of immortal standards performed by Vaughan, Washington, and Bailey with titles that include "Perdido", "Fly Me To The Moon", "Stormy Weather", "Summertime", "Moonglow", "Stella By Starlight", and more. Cover features a gorgeous wrap-around panoramic shot of downtown Chicago in the 60s! LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

One of the more obscure albums by Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross – a session of Basie tunes, performed with backing by the Count, plus additional lead vocals by Joe Williams, the voice most closely associated with the Basie group at the time! The style is similar to the trio's Sing A Song Of Basie album for ABC, but handled here with a bit more of an edge, and a rougher, more freewheeling groove that's a better fit for the great Basie sound of the late 50s – a great adaptation of the groove by Jon Hendricks, Dave Lambert, and Annie Ross! The record's a nice sometimes-overlooked chapter in the excellent Count Basie run on Roulette – and titles include "Every Tub", "Rusty Dusty Blues", "The King", "Shorty George", and "Let Me See". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by The Dreamlovers, The Valentines, The Five Satins, The Eldorados, The Moonglows, The Pastels, The Chantels, The Four Seasons, The Willows, The Spaniels, and The Channels. LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by The Monotones, The Nutmegs, The Dells, The Spaniels, Dion & The Belmonts, The Moonglows, The Pastels, The Cadillacs, The Chanels, The Fiestas, and The Heartbeats. LP, Vinyl record album