"Midnight Blue" is Kenny Burrell’s understated masterpiece and one of the finest displays of bluesy-jazz guitar playing. The guitarist whose tone entranced Jimi Hendrix and whose style was emulated by Stevie Ray Vaughan moves deliberately and patiently through this intimate set. Standouts include the smokin’ opener, “Chitlins Con Carne” and the stunning “Soul Lament”. His elegant choice of chords and melodic intensity are powerful and fluid. This star-studded affair also features tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, double-bassist Major Holley Jr., drummer Bill English and conga-player Ray Barretto. In 2005, NPR included the album in its “Basic Jazz Library”, describing the album as "one of the great jazzy blues records".

The Cat is a 1964 album by Jimmy Smith. It features the sound of Smith's Hammond B-3 organ with big band arrangements by composer Lalo Schifrin. The album reached number 12 on the Billboard 200 chart. The track "The Cat" has been sampled by Pizzicato 5 "Twiggy Twiggy" and The Orb "Perpetual Dawn (Ultrabass 2)".

In 1965, Astrud Gilberto was telling her producer, Creed Taylor, how much she admired arranger Gil Evans and his groundbreaking "cool jazz" work with Miles Davis. Taylor managed to hire Evans for her next album, "Look To The Rainbow". Evans challenged her but Gilberto's aloof vocals matched Evans's cool arrangements, which at times used Gilberto's voice as another instrument in the mix.

"A New Perspective" was released in 1963 on Blue Note Records. Considered to be one of the best and most successful uses of a gospel choir in a jazz context. Byrd himself said about the album, "I mean this album seriously. Because of my own background, I've always wanted to write an entire album of spiritual-like pieces. The most accurate way I can describe what we were all trying to do is that this is a modern hymnal. In an earlier period, the New Orleans jazzmen would often play religious music for exactly what it was - but with their own jazz textures and techniques added. Now, as modern jazzmen, we're also approaching this tradition with respect and great pleasure".

In his years with Verve, Jimmy Smith and his jaunty jazz organ made four appearances on Billboard's hit-singles charts with his recordings of contemporary movie themes. This album, arranged by Lalo Schifrin, features selections from two film scores (including "The Cat", for which composer Schifrin won a Grammy), some big-band style orchestrations, and plenty of blues. In 1964 this release defied the boundaries of idiom, appealing to a huge audience of jazz, r&b, and pop fans. Screaming film noir horns frame Smith's jaw-dropping organ runs that practically sweat emotion.

Soul Samba (aka Bossa Nova Soul Samba) is an album by American saxophonist Ike Quebec recorded in 1962 and released on the Blue Note label. It was Quebec's final recording before his death in January 1963.

Kenneth Earl Burrell is an American jazz guitarist mostly known for his work on the Blue Note label. He has cited jazz guitarists Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt as influences, along with blues guitarists T-Bone Walker and Muddy Waters. Furthermore, Jimi Hendrix has cited Burrel as an influence. "God Bless The Child" is his 1971's album for CTI label. This is Burrell at his level best as a player to be sure, but also as a composer and as a bandleader. Magnificent.

A delicate and deeply felt collection of recordings, originally released to coincide with the publication of Billie’s autobiography in 1956. In the years since the album title has been appropriated on a number of Billie Holiday collections, but the original album has never been on CD until 2007.

The title says it all: the six young jazz musicians featured here represented the best of the best from the Detroit area, although all were based in New York City by the time this was recorded in 1960. Saxophonist Pepper Adams and trumpeter Donald Byrd coaxed great performances and memorable solos from the band, most notably from guitarist Kenny Burrell and bassist Paul Chambers.

This all-star session was put together by Down Beat magazine featuring the winners and runners-up from the magazine's critic's poll in 1957. While John Coltrane's name may leap out at you from the cover art, he only plays his tenor sax on half the songs here. On the remaining material Coltrane leads the orchestra, a new step for him at the time and a glimpse at an interesting early chapter of his history. And what an orchestra it was: composed of the best of the up-and-coming New York jazz scene, the other musicians in the Winner's Circle here include Donald Byrd on trumpet, Al Cohn on baritone sax, Eddie Costa on piano and vibes, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Oscar Pettiford on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums.

Whims of Chambers is a jazz album by the bassist Paul Chambers released on the Blue Note label circa January 1957. The album features performances by Chambers with trumpeter Donald Byrd, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist Horace Silver and drummer ”Philly” Joe Jones.

Few can claim the title of living legend. Kenny Burrell is just such a person. In fact he's more he's living history, past, present and future. His credentials are voluminous and accomplishments staggering, and he hasn't stopped. Today, he is active recording and performing, a respected educator, and an elder statesman of the music.

Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto had a worldwide smash hit in 1964 with The Girl From Ipanema so it made sense to take the show on the road while the song, and bossa nova, were both still hot. Getz and Gilberto embarked on a six-month US tour and recorded two New York shows for this album. One show was at Carnegie Hall, but the show that inspired the album's title was at Greenwich Village's Café Au Go Go. Getz recorded this material with his new quartet, featuring a young Gary Burton on vibraphone, who also contributed two orginal songs. Gilberto earned a multi-album recording contract with Verve as a result of her touring with Getz.

Guitarist Kenny Burrell recorded this session in 1962 with guest Coleman Hawkins sitting in on tenor sax on half the songs, the third time they recorded together. Pianist Tommy Flanagan is among the stellar musicians who worked with Burrell on this collection of songs that have been called "sad, contemplative and at times gentle" by All About Jazz.

Midnight Blue is a 1963 album by Jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell featuring Stanley Turrentine on tenor saxophone, Major Holley on double bass, Bill English on drums and Ray Barretto on conga, and is one of Burrell’s best-known works for Blue Note. Jazz Improv Magazine lists the album among its top five recommended recordings for Burrell, indicating that “f you need to know ‘the Blue Note sound’, here it is”. In 2005, NPR included the album in its "Basic Jazz Library", describing it as "one of the great jazzy blues records".