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This is an odd release by Rosemary Clooney, who's accompanied by keyboardist Buddy Cole and an unidentified rhythm section. Although the singer is in great form, Cole's extremely corny arrangements and his very dated sound on both organ and piano (which are frequently overdubbed, often in unison) threaten to make the entire session more of a nostalgia trip than something that will appeal to jazz collectors. Still, Clooney's pure swinging vocals on standards such as "'Deed I Do," "Blue Moon," "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me," and "This Can't be Love" are very rewarding, in spite of Cole's uninspiring backgrounds. The original Coral LP jacket reproduced in this Verve CD reissue (which will remain in print until May 2005) has a mini-LP paper jacket and sleeve as well as gossip columnist Earl Wilson's inane liner notes.

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West Side Stories is the twelfth studio album by a Grammy Award nominated composer, keyboardist and pioneer of the smooth jazz genre, Jeff Lorber.

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It has not taken Esperanza Spalding long to emerge as one of the brightest lights in the musical world. Listeners familiar with her stunning 2008 Heads Up International debut, Esperanza, and her best-selling 2010 release Chamber Music Society, were well aware that the young bassist, vocalist and composer from Portland, Oregon was the real deal, with a unique and style-spanning presence, deeply rooted in jazz yet destined to make her mark far beyond the jazz realm. That judgment was confirmed on February 13, 2011, when Spalding became the first jazz musician to receive the GRAMMY® Award for Best New Artist.

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Ray Bryant's first solo piano album is rightfully considered a classic. Bryant, at the time thought of as a young modern traditionalist, has always felt perfectly at home playing the blues. He performs five original and diverse blues on this set along with "Lover Man" and "Rockin' Chair," showing that he really never needed a bassist or a drummer to sound like a complete band. This Prestige album was reissued in the Original Jazz Classics but thus far only as an LP; highly recommended in any case.

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Cementing his position as a dazzling composer of extraordinary talent, pianist - Cowley and his trio scale the gargantuan summit of Mount Molehill where they explore the heights of everyday trivia, and score it to a soaring overture of epic proportions.

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Since Trilok Gurtu is not a vocalist, it's difficult to know what to expect from a CD that contains a lot of vocal tracks. Broken Rhythms proves you need only expect something great and you will not be disappointed. The music is both very Indian and very contemporary without falling into the genre of Bollywood or Bhangra.

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As any Monk aficionado knows, his solo piano performances were wonderful, idiosyncratic, living works of art that often wound up in completely different territory from where they began. Sometimes the results would be a little shakey; often they would be inspiring. Regardless, these solo performances were adventures, and that quality makes the double disc Monk Alone: The Complete Columbia Solo Studio Recordings, 1962-1968 irresistable.

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Julius Hemphill really has a noble heir in Marty Ehrlich, and the fact that this multi-reed player includes a cellist in his quartet makes us remember Hemphill’s association with the great Abdul Wadud. Ehrlich’s first recording of his Rites Quartet for Clean Feed, “Things Have Got To Change”, contrasted his compositions, both rhythmic and reflective, with never- before recorded pieces by Hemphill. Ehrlich’s new recording with his Rites Quartet, “Frog Leg Logic”, presents a broad canvas of original compositions that further define his concept for this ensemble.

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Chucho Valdes continues to amaze with his profoundly Cuban take on jazz. This latest finds him exploring the African component of Cuban religion with a jazz quartet. The results are stunning. BRIYUMBA PALO CONGO was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Performance.

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CD is part of german audiophile magazine AUDIO and features some great artists and recordings to test your equipment. 5 CD series celebrating 50 years of KEF. More of these to come.

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Sonny Criss' second of seven Prestige albums (which has been reissued on CD under the OJC imprint) finds the passionate altoist using the same rhythm section as on the earlier date: pianist Walter Davis, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Alan Dawson. Criss is in fine form on five jazz standards (including a heated "Wee" and an emotional version of "Smile") plus Davis' gospel-ish "A Million or More Times." An excellent outing.

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Joey DeFrancesco remains the most comprehensive jazz organ talent the world knows with the full spectrum of orchestral sounds and registrations at his finger tips and unparallel musical sensibilities. Year after year, Joey brings new life to jazz organ a genre that he almost single-handedly re-defined and brought into the new millennium. Joey's latest for HighNote finds him celebrating a milestone in his life and career as he turns 40. It is hard, therefore, to imagine that Joey has been playing gigs for 30 years taking his first job at the age of ten! In rare form, Joey's original compositions and cover tunes run the gamut from jaw-dropping virtuosity to funky R & B and tender ballads.

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Largely continuing the blueprint of A Sense of Direction, Relativity finds Walt Dickerson mixing standards with adventurous yet upbeat originals. This time around, though, there's a subtext to Dickerson's standards selection: all three -- "It Ain't Necessarily So," "I Can't Get Started," and "Autumn in New York" -- had been previously recorded by Milt Jackson, which invited explicit comparisons and gave Dickerson a chance to show off how distinctive and pioneering his Coltrane-influenced approach to vibes really was.

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Cathedral"" portrays the sound of the new European jazz generation. Finnish drummer Olavi Louhivuori´s quintet, Oddarrang, returns after a two year break with their new album, ""Cathedral"" on the Texacalli label, via Edition Records. This long awaited second album reveals a renewed band that portrays dark impressions and minimalistic soundscapes. Through their music the group delivers a musical experience that isn´t bound to any specific genre or category. The band melts together influences from jazz, classical music, world music and postmodern rock. The group´s music has been compared to the cool but moving expression of Icelanders such as Björk and Sigur Rós.