Lee Konitz has long been a versatile jazz musician, adaptable to many different styles. This Brazilian-flavored session is one of two that the alto saxophonist recorded during the mid-'90s for Venus; his session partners include trumpeter Tom Harrell, guitarist Romero Lubambo, pianist David Kikoski, bassist David Fink, drummer Duduka Da Fonseca, and percussionist Waltinho Anastácio.

It's easy to love the piano of Steve Kuhn - even without the album's cover image of a model exposing herself by the side of a freeway! Kuhn's keys have a lot more class than warrants the cover - and from the very first note of the set, you'll be transported away from thinking about that image, and caught in rapt attention to Steve's warm tones on the piano.

Pianist Steve Kuhn, accompanied by David Finck and Billy Drummond, explore classical works by a number of top composers from the 19th and 20th centuries on this Japanese release, though they are used as a launching pad for improvisation.

Vocalist Tessa Souter dazzled listeners with her excellent debut album, Night Of Key Largo, which was awarded the Swing Journal Gold Disc. With her next album, Beyond the Blue, Souter embarked on an ambitious task: writing lyrics to well-known classical compositions and performing them in a jazz setting. Being a gifted writer, Souter herself wrote the lyrics for all but three of the songs. For this release, Souter is supported by outstanding New York-based jazz musicians. She sings gracefully and intelligently, using her beautiful voice to the fullest.

Known for her delightful delivery and delicate vibrato-less soprano, the Sao Paulo-born vocalist/composer/guitarist is equally at ease on melodic ballads as she is on tongue-twisting sambas. A Cash Box reviewer once wrote that "hearing Ana Caram was like a sweet, sunny, wake up call".

Adela Dalto has been immersed in the highest levels of creative Latin and Brazilian music and has mixed the sophisticated elements of this music with American jazz. Her Latin jazz repertoire also includes her original compositions, combining beautiful vocal sounds with fiery rhythms. As a Latin Jazz vocalist, recording artist and songwriter, with a successful career that spans over 30 years, her performance has been described as "A sublime melding of Latin and jazz styles – Dalto is sensuous and spellbinding".