A wholesome blues effort by the native Chicagoan. Though these are bona fide blues numbers, Rawls confronts each song with an elegant touch. His delivery and articulation give the [more]

The story of the birth of Jesus more than 2,000 years ago has been the source of inspiration for countless poets and musicians, as well [more]

This pair of 1963 studio sessions by Grant Green remained under wraps until issued as a part of Blue Note's limited edition Jazz Connoisseur series. The guitarist is in fine form, [more]

The immortal vocal jazz group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross recorded five albums during its career: one apiece for Impulse! and World Pacific and three [more]

Mingus Ah Um catapulted Charles Mingus from a much-discussed semi-underground figure to a near-universally accepted and acclaimed leader in modern jazz. Perhaps that's why his [more]

This two-CD set gives one a good example of how Duke Ellington's Orchestra sounded in 1959. Greatly expanded from the original single LP, the release essentially brings [more]

Beginning in the '30s, Duke Ellington started recording with small groups taken out of his orchestra under the leadership of his sidemen. These highly enjoyable recordings [more]

Duke Ellington was so brilliant as a bandleader, arranger and composer that sometimes his piano playing was taken for granted. He gave few [more]

Out of the 13 selections included on this double CD, six were originally released just in Europe, two ("Out of Nowhere" and "Mexican Jumping [more]

Woody Herman spent his twilight years recording for the Concord label, both with his big band and in all-star groups that he sponsored. For this 1998 sampler CD, Herman [more]

One of the undeniable highlights of President Richard Nixon's administration was the 1969 White House gala celebrating Duke Ellington's 70th birthday, though jazz [more]

Not all mellow, Houston Person's tribute to the softer side of jazz has its moments based on the laid-back timbre of his soul rather than a program consisting of only ballads. The tenor [more]

Recorded live at San Francisco's beat-era mecca the Hungry I, In Person captures an energy often absent from Frank D'Rone's studio efforts. Backed by only a small rhythm section, D'Rone [more]

Just three months before his death, pianist BIll Evans was extensively recorded at the Village Vanguard. Originally, one or two LPs were to be [more]

Since most of this CD features the duo of acoustic guitarist Matt Balitsaris (who also plays a bit of electric guitar) and vibraphonist Jeff Berman, and the originals are [more]

This three-fer from Legacy features Bing Crosby's A Collection of Classics, Nat King Cole's Voice of a Legend and Frank Sinatra's The Magic of Old Blue Eyes in their entirety. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide