Jan Lundgren (piano), Hans Backenroth (bass), and Kristian Leth (drums) form a renowned Scandinavian jazz rhythm section. They regularly perform as the backing trio for American tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton and have played together at the legendary Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen.

Kenny Drew Trio is the 1956 album by jazz pianist Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums) - the trio who would go on the following year to be the rhythm section for the legendary John Coltrane album Blue Train.

"Progressive piano" from a young Kenny Drew – already swinging here with a sound that's unlike anybody else at the time! The album follows nicely from Drew's early work for Blue Note – and like those sides, the groove here is a mix of creatively compelling solo lines, and a slight soulful undercurrent in the rhythms – kind of a blend of bop inspiration and some of the more creative 50s piano modes, all wrapped together with just a hint of the generation of players to come. The group features Eugene Wright on bass and Charles Wright on drums – and titles include "Angie", "Bluesville", "Four & Five", "Lo Flame", "Chartreuse", "Kenny's Blues", "Many Miles Away", and "My Beautiful Lady".

Although he has played trumpet, trombone, clarinet, tenor and piano, it is as an alto saxophonist that Benny Carter has achieved his enviable reputation as an instrumentalist. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner has acted as an inspiration to generations of young musicians, all of whom have been fascinated by the seemingly effortless way in which that flawless tone was produced. The broad, sweeping phrases of his improvisations have the structural stability of compositions in their own right. This 1980 session, recorded for the Danish Storyville label, finds Carter backed by a fine quintet including pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Jesper Lundgard, drummer Ed Thigpen and Richard Boone, who sings on "All That Jazz".

This album, not released until 1956, contains the first recordings Sonny Rollins made for Prestige as leader in 1951 and 1953. Rollins is backed on four songs by the Modern Jazz Quartet (John Lewis, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath and Kenny Clarke), eight other tracks feature Heath with Kenny Drew and Art Blakey, while Miles Davis plays piano on the closing number I Know. Several of these songs appeared in 1952 on 10 inch vinyl entitled Sonny Rollins Quartet.

Swing tenor saxophone player Ben Webster earned the nickname “The Brute and the Beautiful” in jazz circles where his musical versatility was well-known. Webster's signature tough, raspy and gruff tone softened on ballads, which he played with warmth and sentiment. On this Storyville release he caresses seven timeless melodies in a variety of settings including trios with either Teddy Wilson, Ole Kock Hansen or Kenny Drew on piano, backing by The Danish Radio Big Band (on "Cry Me a River") or a version of "Greensleeves" with a string orchestra. Although largely forgotten in the United States (he had moved to Europe in 1965), Ben Webster was still in fine form this late in his career.

"Daddy Plays the Horn" is a 1955 jazz album by saxophonist Dexter Gordon. The Billboard review stated that the album was "not too original, but it swings" and mentioned that Gordon played "some top-flight, Lester Young-inspired tenor here, with a more robust sound than that of the master or most of his other disciples".

This album capture the momentous meeting of four great iconoclastic jazz figures. It was a historic, magical moment when Coleman Hawkins, Bud Powell, Oscar Pettiford and Kenny Clarke came together on the stage of the Grugahalie in Essen on the evening of April 2nd, 1960 and played for an Essen Jazz Festival audience of some 8,000 people. That audience was uniquely privileged because it was to witness the performance of some most inspirational spontaneous music from a quartet of jazz masters who were destined never to play together again. Oscar Pettiford, one of the prime emancipators of the bass, died later that year; Bud Powell went to that great 52nd Street in the sky six years later. And three years after that, Coleman Hawkins was dead. A most precious recording, then - and it underscores yet again the gratitude that all jazz lovers owe to the people who ensure that such auspicious musical encounters are preserved on record.

Tenor saxophonist John Coltrane was one of the most innovative, influential and respected figures in jazz history. In 1957, Coltrane created a masterpiece with the release of "Blue Train". The album has been widely regarded by both fans and critics as one of the greatest jazz records of all time.

This Blu-Ray Pure Audio edition features previously released alternate takes from 'Ultimate Blue Train'. Also an unreleased take of 'Lazy Bird' and an alternate of 'Blue Train' that was released only in Japan.

This is one of the rarest record dates led by Ray Nance, recorded in 1971 for BASF with pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Ron Mathewson, and drummer Daniel Humair. Nance pulls all the stops in showcasing his talents, opening with an obscure Ellington composition, 'He Huffed 'n' Puffed', with the leader delivering its jive vocal with his trademark humor in his hoarse voice. His swinging violin is heard on 'Some of These Days' and his exotic original 'Wild Child,' written shortly before the session began, which finds him moving away from swing and closer to the post-bop sounds of John Coltrane. His muted horn and campy vocal on 'Tangerine' and open horn on 'Struttin' With Some Barbecue' are also highlights of what evidently was his final recording as a leader prior to his death in 1976. This long out of print LP is worth an extensive search.

Whistle Stop is a jazz studio album by Kenny Dorham, featuring performances by acclaimed musicians Hank Mobley, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. "In 1975", Blumenthal states in the CD liner notes, "five British critics picked Whistle Stop as one of 200 albums that belonged in a basic library of jazz recorded after World War II".

Unlike many other American expatriates living in Europe, tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon always managed to play and record with the top musicians while overseas. This excellent sextet session (with trombonist Slide Hampton, trumpeter Dizzy Reece, pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Niels Pedersen and drummer Art Taylor) finds him exploring three Slide Hampton compositions and a trio of standard ballads. The other soloists are fine but Gordon easily dominates the set, playing his brand of hard-driving bop.

John Coltrane's only recording for the Blue Note label, Blue Train is considered one of the greatest jazz albums of all time. Coltrane is featured here in his debut as bandleader and composer, backed by Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums.

Organised jam sessions at New York's legendary Birdland Club were broadcast twice weekly during the late '40's and early '50's and a baker's dozen of tracks featuring the magnificent Miles Davis have been selected for this collection. The various pick-up line-ups included all the great jazz musicians of the era, and tenor sax genius Stan Getz can be heard here on several tracks beautifully complimenting Miles' wonderful trumpet excursions. This album has been early issued on CD under the titles "Miles Davis: The Birdland Sessions" (1994), "Miles Davis: Out Of The Blue" (1997), "Miles Davis featuring Stan Getz : Birdland Days" (1991), "Miles Davis, Stan Getz: Move" (2003).