Alive, and plenty lively – one of our favorite albums ever to feature the team of Al Cohn and Zoot Sims – and one that has them really stretching out a lot more than usual! The album's got a format that's quite different than the tightly-reigned sound of Sims and Cohn on other dates – as all the four tracks here run for longer than nine minutes – really allowing lots of room for solo space – and some great interplay between the reedmen too! Phil Woods joins the twin tenors on alto for two tracks – and the rest of the group features Mose Allison on piano, Nabil Totah on bass, and Paul Motian on drums. Titles include "Lover Come Back To Me", "It Had To Be You", and "Wee Dot". CD

Jazz from the heart of the cold war – not actually recorded in Moscow, but featuring a bunch of hip players on their return from a tour of the Soviet Union – a historic moment in which west met east, with some groovy jazz in the offing! Apart from the tenor of Zoot Sims and alto of Phil Woods, the record also features flute and alto from Jerry Dodgion, trombone from Willie Dennis, trumpets from Markie Markowitz and Jimmy Maxwell, and piano from Eddie Costa – and the set features arrangements from Al Cohn on tracks that hit the 5 minute range – tight at the top, with breakaway solos, as you might hear during some of the Cohn/Sims sides for RCA during the 50s! Titles include "Let's Dance", "Mission To Moscow", "The Sochi Boatman", and the obligatory "Russian Lullaby". LP, Vinyl record album

A great large group project from arranger Manny Albam – one that teams him up with "jazz greats" of the east coast scene. Manny's working here with a set of players who are well-chosen for their ability to work strongly in an ensemble, yet also break out with strong solo work when the moment comes – and the lineup includes Gerry Mulligan, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer, and Art Farmer – with rhythm by the trio of Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, and Osie Johnson. CD