"The Gigolo" has no weak moments, featuring jazz aficionados Wayne Shorter, Harold Mabern, Bob Cranshaw and Billy Higgins. Produced by Alfred Lion. Recorded June 25 & July 1, 1965 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Mike LeDonne has appeared on over 100 CDs as a sideman with so many jazz giants it is hard to keep count: Art Farmer, Clifford Jordan, Dizzy Gillespie, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, Christian McBride and others. LeDonne made his first recording as a leader on the B-3 for Savant in 2003 and has since added seven additional records to his discography on the label. To his regular band, The Groover Quartet (Eric Alexander, Peter Bernstein and Joe Farnsworth) Mike has added guests Jeremy Pelt on trumpet and the venerable bassist, Bob Cranshaw. With such an illustrious line-up there are few jazz combos that burn hotter, swing harder or generate more excitement than this all-star aggregation.

"Evolution" was the first album released by trombonist Grachan Moncur III, and is an incredible debut of a talented free-jazz musician. The Allmusic review by Steve Huey awarded the album 4½ stars out of 5 and stated "With such an inventive debut, it's a shame Moncur didn't record more as a leader, which makes Evolution an even more important item for fans of Blue Note's avant-garde to track down".

Freddie Hubbard leads two ensembles of stellar musicians, an octet and septet, on this 1965 session of all-original material. Included in the lineup are unconventional jazz instruments such as congas and euphonium, even flute, resulting in a varied hard bop set that displays soul-jazz and Latin influences.

Trumpeter Donald Byrd released this interesting and unusual album in 1965 featuring vocalists and a full horn section, building on the experimentation he began on this record's predecessor, "A New Perspective". Byrd is supported here by a typically superb band, notably a young Herbie Hancock on piano. Also playing on these original tunes by Byrd are Stanley Turrentine on tenor saxophone, Freddie Roach on organ, Grant Green on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on bass and Grady Tate on drums. Pianist Duke Pearson, while not appearing on the album, did produce half the songs (Byrd produced the other half) and served as arranger.

Celebrated jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan paved the way for the popularity of ‘60s soul-jazz with the release of his definitive classic The Sidewinder. The title track and one of Morgan’s signature tunes exemplified the soul-jazz genre, later becoming a jazz standard. Recorded in 1963 at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio, the highly successful album would chart on both the Billboard 200 and Billboard’s Top R&B albums. Its provocative phrasing and innovative technique mesmerized audiences. The album includes the hard-bop tracks “Gary’s Notebook”, “Hocus-Pocus” and “Boy, What a Night”. An absolute essential.

Mention Grady Tate's name to most bop lovers, and his excellent drumming is the thing that immediately pops into their minds. His singing isn't the first thing they think of, which is regrettable because he really is a fine singer. One of the impressive vocal albums he did was "Windmills of My Mind", a jazz/R&B release recorded when he was 36.

The Bridge is a studio album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, recorded in 1962. It was Rollins' first release following a three-year sabbatical and was his first album for RCA Victor. The saxophonist was joined by the musicians with whom he recorded for the next segment of his career: Jim Hall on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on double bass and Ben Riley on drums.

"The Cape Verdean Blues" followed Song for My Father as another album by Horace Silver that was inspired by his father, who hailed from the island nation of Cape Verde. The Cape Verdean Blues featured the added contribution of legendary bop trombonist J.J. Johson, whom Silver had wanted to work with for quite some time leading up to this album.

Massimo Farao' is a wonderful Italian pianist who has played and recorded with Red Holloway, Albert "Tootie" Heath, Tony Scott, Franco Ambrosetti, Nat Adderley, Jeff Tain Watts, Jack DeJohnette and Chris Potter, among others. Farao's passionate style and stoic romanticism are very attractive along with the rich harmonies he creates.

It can be argued with some validity that one's overall movement through life is reflected in his creative endeavor, and Eric Alexander's strength and versatility on the saxophone can be viewed from this perspective. At this point in his career, Eric has certainly covered a lot of territory, both literally and figuratively. He himself has lost count of how many albums feature his playing; our guess is 100 or more. While he has garnered critical acclaim from every corner, what has mattered most has been to establish his own voice within the illustrious bop-based jazz tradition which is exactly what he does on his latest HighNote release. The close-knit ensemble of a band of regular buddies, coupled with the bass-clef contributions of the extraordinary Bob Cranshaw, make for a listening experience not soon forgotten.

"Delightfulee" features Lee Morgan performing both with a quintet and a big band, with arrangements by Oliver Nelson. Recorded on April 8 & May 27, 1966. The album was produced by Alfred Lion.

"The Bridge" was the album that marked Sonny Rollins' return to recording after a three-year self-imposed hiatus that began in 1959. Rollins spent most of those three years practicing alone up on the Williamsburg Bridge in New York City: “I would be up there 15 or 16 hours at a time spring, summer, fall and winter”. "The Bridge", his first solo recording after returning to performance, took its name from those practicing sessions. Consistently impressive is the interplay between Rollins and Hall, and the record is considered a classic by jazz aficionados today.

Sanitize Tom Waits's vocal cords, take some of the rasp out of Dr. John's, put some muscle into Bobby Caldwell's, combine them and you'll have an approximation of the quality of Steve Tyrell's voice. Like his popular 1999 debut, "A New Standard", this is a meticulously recorded album featuring the great American songbook and some of the best jazz soloists alive, including trumpeter Clark Terry, harmonica player Toots Thielemans, and singer Jane Monheit, who plays Lucille Ball and Betty Carter against Tyrell's Red Skelton and Ray Charles on the classic duet "Baby It's Cold Outside".

"Happenings" is Bobby Hutcherson’s masterpiece. It features six Hutcherson originals and Herbie Hancock’s acclaimed “Maiden Voyage”. This star-studded session features Herbie Hancock on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass and Joe Chambers on drums. With its light and mellow tone, the album reached the top ten on Billboard’s Top Jazz albums.