This double album marks the first official release of recordings capturing the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra in concert at the legendary Village Vanguard in New York City in early 1966. The treasure trove of previously unheard live performances from two shows six weeks apart is presented in ahead-of-its-time audiophile quality. George Klabin, a 19-year-old engineer, taped the orchestra direct to two-track, mixing each of the soloists live on the fly. For this package, Klabin transferred and remastered the audio using the original tapes.

This album came out of a series of three recording sessions by Sonny Stitt toward the end of 1959, and sees the jazz saxophonist delve into the world of blues.The album blends powerful original songs written by Stitt with a couple of standards that get new life breathed into them. Stitt plays alto sax exclusively on this release, which led to unfair comparisons at the time to Charlie Parker. This album has been out-of-print and almost impossible to find for many years, until now.

"Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band at the Village Vanguard" is a live album recorded by American jazz saxophonist and bandleader Gerry Mulligan featuring performances recorded at the Village Vanguard in late 1960 which were originally released on the Verve label in 1961.

Turn down the lights, turn up the volume and get transported back in time to a legendary jazz night club on the Sunset Strip in 1957. Songs For Any Taste is one of a trio of live albums Mel Tormé recorded at the Crescendo Club in Los Angeles. This album, the last of the three, fleshes out the remaining unreleased live material with one studio take. Tormé's longtime collaborator Marty Paich plays piano, arranges and leads the band.

Ella Fitzgerald is backed by Marty Paich's Dek-tette on this Grammy-winning 1958 recording of swinging jazz standards. The album features a typical selection of jazz standards from this era, songs from musicals like Frank Loesser's "If I Were a Bell", and a famous jazz instrumental vocalised by Ella, Roy Eldridge's "Little Jazz". This was among several hit albums that Fitzgerald enjoyed in the '50s, when she was reaching the mass audience cutting pre-rock standards.

Art Pepper + Eleven – Modern Jazz Classics is a 1960 jazz album by saxophonist Art Pepper and a small big band performing arrangements by Marty Paich, who also directed the ensemble. The recording is one of several dates Pepper made with Paich in 1959 and is the only one with Pepper as leader. The recording focuses on Paich's large group arrangements of modern jazz classics, including Denzil Best's "Move", Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight", Gerry Mulligan's "Walkin' Shoes". Other highlights of the recording are Pepper's clarinet performances on "Anthropology" and the alternate takes of "Walkin'".

A 1957 session of traditional music recorded in anticipation that folk music would be the next big trend. Frances Faye is accompanied by brass and strings arranged by Russ Garcia and a band that includes Maynard Ferguson and Don Fagerquist on trumpets, Frank Rosolino on trombone and Mel Lewis on drums.

This album came out of a series of three recording sessions by Sonny Stitt toward the end of 1959, and sees the jazz saxophonist delve into the world of blues.The album blends powerful original songs written by Stitt with a couple of standards that get new life breathed into them. Stitt plays alto sax exclusively on this release, which led to unfair comparisons at the time to Charlie Parker. This album has been out-of-print and almost impossible to find for many years, until now.

Certainly one of the most important sessions in Pepper's entire recording career, if not the history of jazz, this classic 1959 recording features the legendary sax player backed by an astounding big band that includes drummer Mel Lewis and alto sax icon Bud Shank. The album features brilliant arrangements by Marty Paich (who would later orchestrate for artists like Carly Simon and Elton John).

Mel Lewis first teamed up with renowned trumpeter Thad Jones to form the band that later became the legendary Mel Lewis Orchestra. Brimming with some of the best players in the Big Apple, the band quickly found success. They also became the Monday night band at the world’s most famous jazz club, New York’s The Village Vanguard. With Jones’ departure in ’78, Mel took over as leader, shaping the band into “one of the most exciting and innovative big bands ever to grace the jazz scene”.

After flirting with bobby-soxer idolatry early in his career, Mel Tormé teamed up with arranger Marty Paich to explore the full range of his artistic potential. Together they conceived the idea of a 10-piece instrumental backing ensemble they dubbed the "Dek-tette". On this reissue of 1956's Bethlehem LP, Tormé is found singing with one of those Dek-tettes. Our featured track is the song that would become a Tormé trademark, "Lulu's Back in Town".

"Two of a Mind" is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonists Paul Desmond and Gerry Mulligan featuring performances recorded in 1962 which were released on the RCA Victor label. This is an album of great melodic interaction between Desmond and Mulligan. It's too bad that they did not perform more often with each other. But what the did give us, will have to do.

Bop pianist Claude Williamson takes on the standards on this 1956 session, recorded in Los Angeles, which included Red Mitchell on bass and Mel Lewis on drums. The highlight of the album is the often-covered title track by Thelonious Monk; Williamson's work at the keyboard seems to channel Monk on this song.

"Two of a Mind" is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonists Paul Desmond and Gerry Mulligan featuring performances recorded in 1962 which were released on the RCA Victor label. This is an album of great melodic interaction between Desmond and Mulligan. It's too bad that they did not perform more often with each other. But what the did give us, will have to do.

West Coast jazz trumpeter Stu Williamson recorded this album in Los Angeles in 1956 with some of the best studio musicians of the day. He is accompanied on different tracks by a young Charlie Mariano on alto sax, Bill Holman on tenor sax and Mel Lewis on drums, while older brother Claude Williamson plays piano throughout the session.