Released for the first time on this 1999 Challenge CD, this live set features the unusual duo of guitarist Jim Hall and valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, two-thirds of the 1957 Jimmy Giuffre Three. Although there are occasions when one of the musicians accompanies the other one, much of the time Hall and Brookmeyer function as equals, improvising together on a set of standards plus an ad-lib blues called "Sweet Basil." Their ability to improvise while thinking of the whole picture and their knack for spontaneously harmonizing really come in handy during this intriguing and frequently exciting outing. Among the selections reborn in the playing of Hall and Brookmeyer are John Lewis' "Skating in Central Park," "Body and Soul," "Darn That Dream," and "St. Thomas." A successful effort that should not have taken 20 years to release.

Guitarist Pat Martino's second recording as a leader finds him essentially playing advanced bop. His quintet (with Joe Farrell on tenor and flute, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ben Tucker and drummer Walter Perkins) really roars on an uptempo version of "Minority" and is diverse enough to come up with meaningful statements on four of Martino's originals.

Autophysiopsychic is probably the single album that many Yusef Lateef fans either love or hate the most. Along with guest soloist Art Farmer on flugelhorn, guitarist Eric Gale, keyboardist Cliff Carter, drummer Jim Madison and bassist Gary King (except for "Sister Mamie," which features Steve Gadd and Alex Blake respectively), "Teefski" romps through five fat slices of original funk that have far more in common with the sounds of Chocolate City than with the bop sounds of 52nd Street. Autophysiopsychic is awash in the soft soul-funk-jazz sound typical of Creed Taylor's (CTI) productions in the 1970s.

John Lee and Gerry Brown's Blue Note debut pairs the duo with producer Skip Drinkwater, who strips their fusion approach to its bare essentials to create a moody, deeply funky sound that smolders with intensity. Bolstered by session aces spanning from Motown studio great Wah Wah Watson to Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine, Mango Sunrise burns as slow and steady as a stick of dynamite – while Drinkwater's production is undeniably slick, it also eliminates the superfluous sounds and technical wankery that undermine so much of Lee and Brown's subsequent output.

This rich collection of late-1940's recordings from the seminal bop trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie returns us to the period when modern jazz had firmly broken away from swing, even as, for many jazz fans, it was fulfilling musical promises that swing had long held out. One of the more compelling features of this collection is its focus on ensembles that are larger than the stereotypical small-group bebop lineup. Gillespie liked the big-band style in which he had made his name, and here we find groups of more than twelve pieces handling Gillespie's and other composers' most challenging bop compositions…

Although Carol Welsman has moved to the Los Angeles area, she is best known in her native Canada. While frequently identified with smooth jazz, she has also recorded vintage standards and can swing in straight-ahead jazz settings, too. Her father was a big jazz fan with a large record collection, introducing his daughter to jazz. Not only did she hear his records, but from the age of 12 she often accompanied him to concerts, developing a love for the singing of Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Mel Tormé. Welsman played guitar from the age of ten, accompanying her singing of bossa novas and folk music. She began to perform jazz more in her late teens. Welsman attended the Berklee College of Music during 1980-1981 and studied voice in France with Christiane Legrand…

This volume of Capitol/EMI's Legends Of The 20th Century profiles Nat King Cole, tracing his work as a jazz pianist and a massively popular singer. Both sides of Cole's talent are explored in this 22-track album, which includes "Nature Boy," "Unforgettable," "When I Fall In Love" and other vocal hits as well as jazz works like "Straighten Up And Fly Right," "When I Take My Sugar To Tea," "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" and "Body And Soul." A fine sampling of highlights from both of Cole's careers.

Luke Gillespie releases his 4th CD, "Moving Mists," featuring John Raymond, Pat Harbison, Walter Smith III, Tom Walsh, Wayne Wallace, Jeremy Allen, Steve Houghton, Tierney Sutton, Todd Coolman & Brent Wallarab, performing Gillespie's original jazz compositions and his arrangements of jazz classics, including John Coltrane, and great standards by Rodgers and Hart, Victor Young, and more.

Reissue with the latest DSD remastering. Comes with liner notes. One of Gary Peacock's rare Japanese-only albums for Columbia – really dynamic trio work that's a lot more powerful than the bassist's later sides for ECM! Gary's working here with Masabumi Kikuchi on piano and Hiroshi Murakami on drums – in a mode that's got the open-ended, long flowing energy that would emerge most strongly in Japanese trio sessions a few years later – a style that's exploratory, but never too free – and perfectly suited to the tonal colors that Peacock's always brought to his work on bass. The set is sophisticated, yet never full of itself – with a great juxtaposition of lyrical and modern moments, carved out here with a heck of a lot of power!

The debut recording of the Shenandoah Valley’s hottest Big Band. offering a collection of catchy melodies, familiar song forms, and delicious jazz solos.

This CD compilation collects three separate sessions recorded by Donald Byrd and Doug Watkins for Transition with various small groups. The 1955 recordings (first issued under the title Byrd's Eye View) were made shortly after Byrd replaced Kenny Dorham in the Jazz Messengers, all of whom (Horace Silver, Art Blakey, and Hank Mobley, along with Byrd and Watkins) are present, with the addition of local trumpeter Joe Gordon as a guest on two tracks. The half-dozen songs mix an improvised blues ("Doug's Blues"), a favorite from the swing era ("Crazy Rhythm"), a ballad feature for Byrd and Mobley ("Everything Happens to Me"), plus a pair of potent hard bop pieces contributed by the tenor saxophonist…

Quartet: Russ Freeman & Chet Baker brings together tracks that pianist Russ Freeman recorded with trumpeter Chet Baker during their time as bandmates in the 1950s. Freeman was a regularly gigging, bop-oriented player in Los Angeles when he joined forces with rising jazz star Baker in 1953. Baker, who had just parted ways with baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan after making a splash with their legendary pianoless quartet, was looking for a musical director to help chart his own course.

Richard Bennett is an American guitarist, sideman, session musician, and record producer. As a touring sideman, he performed with Neil Diamond for 17 years, and Mark Knopfler since 1994. As a session player, he has worked with artists ranging from Billy Joel and Barbra Streisand to Rodney Crowell and Vince Gill. He has produced Grammy award winning artists like Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, and Marty Stuart.

Herbie Nichols Trio is an album by American jazz pianist Herbie Nichols, featuring performances recorded and released on the Blue Note label in 1956.

Features 24 bit remastering and comes with a mini-description. A great return to form for vocalist Earl Coleman – a singer who'd recorded earlier in the bop years, but who makes a rare 60s appearance here on a soulful set for Atlantic Records! Coleman's got a rich voice that's somewhere between Johnny Hartman and Billy Eckstine – with a great range that really goes deep when it wants, yet still has a fluid sensibility that's definitely jazz more than anything else. Billy Taylor's on the record on piano, and leads the combo on most numbers – but the set also features some nice arrangements from Frank Foster and Tom McIntosh, both of whom really keep things interesting. Titles include "Charade", "When Did You Leave Heaven", "I Wish I Knew", "Day In the Life Of a Fool", and "I Won't Tell A Soul".