Aladdin Records, based in Los Angeles, was a very influential label in American music history. This is not the full story of Aladdin Records but it's a very good sampler of the label's output from 1947-1961. It's 50 tracks, 25 tracks on each of the 2CDs in the set, of very good R&B from the period. Each CD is about 60 minutes playing time. The sound is good for recordings of this era. Amos Milburn, Lightnin' Hopkins, Lowell Fulson, Louis Jordan, Charles Brown, Billie Holiday, Shirley & Lee, Gene & Eunic, Bobby Wall, Thurston Harris, The Velvetones and many more.

In the late '50s trumpeter Roy Eldridge and tenor-saxophonist Coleman Hawkins teamed up on a fairly regular basis. Since they always brought out the best in each other (their solos could be quite competitive and fiery), all of their joint recordings are recommended. Two LPs from their gig at Washington D.C.'s Bayou Club in 1959 were previously released on the Honeysuckle Rose label. Five of those selections plus four previously unissued cuts are included on this Stash CD. Most of the tunes are medium-tempo jams such as "Just You, Just Me," "Rifftide," and "How High the Moon," but there is also an excellent ballad medley. Backed by a local rhythm section, Eldridge and Hawk are both in superior form, making this a highly recommended disc even for those listeners who already have the earlier LPs.

2 CD, 50 greatest hits. Petula Clark, Joan Baez, Brenda Lee, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Linda Ronstadt, Nina Simone, Connie Francis, Carole King, Cher, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Gloria Gaynor, Shirley Bassey, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughan, Olivia Newton-John, Judy Garland, Billy Holiday, Mahalia Jackson and more, and more…

AVID Jazz here presents three classic Ben Webster albums plus including original LP liner notes on a finely re-mastered and low priced double CD. 'Blue Saxophones'… Take the Oscar Peterson Trio with Alvin Stoller on drums, add two of the greatest tenor saxophonists who ever lived, Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster and voila… you have Blue Saxophones! Two masters together in 1957, one (Hawkins) a huge influence on the other (Webster), but now, both very much their own men. As the final paragraph of Charles Fox's liner notes attests 'This is tenor playing in the grandest of manners, unashamedly romantic, even sensuous, with both musicians constructing their solos firmly and audaciously'. 'Soulville'… Ben is once again joined by the Oscar Peterson Trio for another 1957 date. This time sitting in on drums is Stan Levey, in Bens own words 'he's improved since I heard him on the Street years ago.' Ben of course is a huge fan of Peterson…..'the guy can play a lot as a soloist but when it comes time for you to play a solo, he plays for you'. 'The Soul Of Ben Webster'… Here we find Ben joined by fellow tenor man Harold Ashby alongside among others Art Farmer on trumpet and Jimmy Jones on piano in a 1958 blowing date.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Imelda May is a unique vocal talent, one whose gift lies outside the normal order of pop culture time and trends. Inspired by the sounds of vocal jazz à la Billie Holiday and the sound and looks of rockabilly, May began performing with the swing outfit Blue Harlem, and released a handful of independent CDs before scoring attention in 2007 with her nomination for an award as Best Burlesque Singer as well as the release of her more official debut, Love Tattoo. The album, featuring her strong backing band comprised of players Dave Priseman, Darrell Higham, Al Gare, and Steve Rushton, was critically and commercially well received, leading to some high-profile live gigs, including hitting the road with Jools Holland. It was released in the U.S.A. by Decca in 2009, followed by two singles, and scored a mid-level success. Her sophomore effort, Mayhem, arrived in September of 2010, preceded by the single "Psycho".

In the late '30s and early '40s, pianist Teddy Wilson was a big deal in the land of jazz. He had many opportunities to perform as a sideman, and eventually got his breaks. These sessions showcase of variety of his efforts with big bands, large ensembles, small groups, and a singer named Billie Holiday. Though none of his own compositions are credited ("Big Apple" should be,) he certainly had a hand in the arrangements, and was given space to play quite a bit of piano. The Hep label has generously provided 23 selections with Wilson and bandmates including stalwarts Hot Lips Page, Lester Young, Freddie Green, Red Norvo and Pee Wee Russell, as well as backing trombonist Benny Morton's All Stars. There are two takes of "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Just a Mood" (Blue Mood,) "When You're Smiling," and "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" for contrast sake. The sound reproduction of these vintage performances is excellent, and this one can easily be recommended to both fan and novice.

Two CD collection. ECHOES OF GERMANY is the ideal introduction to German popular music of the 1950s and early 1960s, with occasional forays into the 1930s and 1940s to offer a full array of swing, easy listening, musical theatre, schlager and Rock 'n' Roll. ECHOES OF GERMANY presents great performances by such legends as Marlene Dietrich, Lotte Lenya, Peter Alexander, Bert Kaempfert, Peter Kraus and Ted Herold, but casts it's net wide to include a handful of non-native performers who sang in German.

On a stopover in Madrid during a six-month European tour in 1956, Lionel Hampton recorded what's possibly one of the strangest and most interesting albums in his discography. This album includes local castanets player named Maria Angelica. By featuring castanets, Hampton added a unexpected peppery flavor. In Angelica's hands, the castanets actually swings than just exotic percussion.
Recorded on June 30, 1956, Jazz Flamenco featured Hampton's full 17-piece band plus several unnamed Spanish percussionists. Hampton also recorded three tracks with a smaller, breakout group he dubbed the "Flamenco Five." The album showcases a wide range of beats I've Got a Brand New Baby, for example, is a roadhouse blues while Bop City Flamenco has an Afro-Cuban undertone, and Lovely Nights in Spain has much in common with Midnight Sun…

The most beautiful jazz & rnb songs by Eydie Gorme Ella Fitzgerald Louis Armstrong Chubby Checker Stan Kenton Benny Goodman Glenn Miller and many more on one compilation!

One of the most successful contemporary jazz singers: at home with ballads, bluesy numbers and bop flag-wavers. Collectiom includes: Never Never Land (2000); Come Dream With Me (2001); In The Sun (2002); Taking A Chance On Love (2004); Surrender (2007); The Lovers, The Dreamers And Me (2009).

Three Phenomenal Guitarists From The Famous Door Record Label. The three enjoyable straight ahead jazz sessions that are reissued in this package have several things in common. They have been out-of-print for years, they are led by talented guitarists who are stimulated by the presence of two other major soloists, each date fatures a quintet that includes swinging bass and drum team, and all of the projects came about due to the guidance of producer Harry Lim, a true friend of Jazz…

A 5CD collection of the greatest anthems from the 90s with chart topping artists featuring Aaliyah, Suede, Kriss Kross, Toni Braxton, Monica, Rozalla, C & C Music Factory, New Kids On The Block, Lightning Seeds, Gloria Estefan, Cypress Hill and many, many more.

This album debuts 26 of Tony Bennett’s classic (as well as lesser known) recordings for the first time in STEREO. Originally recorded in 1 channel monaural, they have been given a fresh new sound, rich in detail, with Tony’s voice brought forward so you can hear him more clearly. This epic achievement has been made possible by the development of some breakthrough new audio technology called “DES” (Digitally Extracted Stereo). Engineers can now zero in on the frequencies of various instruments and vocals, isolate them, and then extract this sound data from the original mono masters and mix them like a modern, multi-track recording. The result is an exciting, more lifelike listening experience that’s offered nowhere else!

Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound from the original master tapes to vinyl and PCM. After the publication of her autobiography, Lady Sings The Blues, Billie Holiday was doing good business in clubs in what turned out to be a last burst of stardom. We cannot know why she stopped recording for Norman Granz after January 1957, but All or Nothing at All, is a magnificent culmination of her years with the producer. As this set demonstrates in the subtle blending and dissolving of moods within one number as well as in the emotional changes throughout the program as a whole, perhaps the primary reason Holiday was always able to reach so deeply into her listeners is that more than any other jazz singer, she could communicate the complexities of feeling in which we are all involved. This audiophile hybrid SACD remastering from Analogue Productions offers listeners the best possible sound quality.

These are rare 'live' recordings of the great Duke Ellington Orchestra performing on Two European tours in London on the 20th of February 1964 and in Stockholm on the 8th of February 1966. As can be seen from the personnel listing below all Ellington luminaries are present making this an extremely collectible addition to the Duke Ellington canon.