Before he left us in July 2, 2002, Ray Brown reigned as the king of jazz bassists for over five decades. As a disciple of Oscar Pettiford and Jimmy Blanton, Brown's sturdy tone, impeccable technique, and swinging drive propelled Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Milt Jackson, and countless other jazz stars to fame. On this CD, his 18th recording for the Telarc label and his fifth in his celebrated Best Friends series, Brown is joined by the young guitar wizard Russell Malone and the lyrical, Jamaican-born pianist Monty Alexander. The drumless lineup is a tribute to the groundbreaking trios Brown lead with Oscar Peterson, and the music is simply remarkable. With Alexander's flowing pianisms shadowed by Malone's articulate guitar work, Brown's deep grooves are only topped by his flawless melodic ideas.

When Jim Davis started producing records at Verve, he changed the company's recording philosophy toward its most prolific instrumentalist. Where Norman Granz had produced countless Oscar Peterson albums dedicated to the popular song, Davis was more interested in making albums closer to how the Peterson trio sounded live. His first Peterson records were the legendary London House sessions. By the time of this album, there had been no personnel change in the trio for five years - so it is no surprise that the rapport among the musicians here is telepathic. This album is Peterson's last of his fourteen-year work with Verve.

We Get Requests is an album by jazz pianist Oscar Peterson and his trio, released in 1964. It was recorded at RCA Studios New York City. This album is Peterson's last of his fourteen-year work with Verve.

"Way Out West", originally recorded for the Contemporary label in 1957, qualifies as an all-time Sonny Rollins classic. Culled from a 3 A.M. session with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne, the material collected here demonstrates why Rollins was considered the top tenor saxophone in jazz at the time of the recording. This Deluxe 60th Anniversary edition celebrates this landmark album in Rollins' career with a full second LP of rare and previously unreleased bonus material and new liner notes by Grammy-winning writer Neil Tesser.

This superb album solidified pianist Gene Harris' return to the jazz major leagues. Teamed up with bassist Ray Brown, drummer Mickey Roker, and tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, Harris stretches out on such songs as Ray Brown's blues "Gene's Lament", "Things Ain't What They Used to Be", "Yours Is My Heart Alone", and "Battle Hymn of the Republic". Harris and Turrentine work together so well on this soulful blues/bop date that one wishes they had teamed up much more often.

As critic Nat Hentoff makes clear, Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster were larger than life. Formidable, even forbidding presences, they revealed a depth of feeling in their playing that spoke of their vast life experiences, as great writers or painters speak through their work.

This was the first trio album that Sonny Rollins recorded in the late 50s, and it remains among the most important documents of his career. Astounding melodic continuity paired with stream-of-consciousness invention, passion, and maturity on the ballads "Solitude" and "There Is No Greater Love," a brilliantly quirky title track, inspired support from Ray Brown and Shelly Manne, and a supreme wit that carried over to perhaps the greatest cover photo of all time combine to make Way Out West one of the most inspired and best loved albums in jazz history.

Ray Brown, Gene Harris & Gerryck King are spectacular in this 1984 recording. Red Holloway (tenor sax) & a rare appearance by the great Emily Remler (guitar) round out the original musicians.

On their own, bassists Ray Brown, John Clayton, and Christian McBride are three of the most talented musicians in jazz today. But, performing together as Superbass, the trio becomes a sublime ensemble, capable of inventive, virtuosic playing with no accompaniment needed or wanted from horns or percussion. Recorded live at the Blue Note club in New York over the course of a couple of sets in December 2000, this disc joyously defies logic–who knew that the upright bass was capable of singing solos from Porgy and Bess?–and standard musical conventions. Together, these guys produce a tender take "My Funny Valentine," an upbeat version of "Get Happy," and a funky Latin jazz number ("Taco with a Pork Chop") that would do Willie Bobo proud. All the while, the threesome is having a great time and taking plenty of solo turns. They've done this routine before–on the first live Superbass disc–but this one takes the cake; the playing is incredible.

"Soulville" is one of the highlights of Ben Webster's golden era. From 1953 to 1959 Webster recorded 10 landmark albums showcasing his swing tenor saxophone, and this album from 1957 is considered a classic. Soulville has it all: there's cool groovy jazz, a bit of soul, a bit of blues, a sense of longing and a whole lot of romance on this ballad-heavy collection. The quintet in the credits consists of Webster, drummer Stan Levey and the Oscar Peterson Trio.

Originally released in 1990, this spectacular album boasts the allstar cast of bassist Ray Brown, guitarist Herb Ellis (Oscar Peterson Trio), saxophonist Scott Hamilton, piano great Gene Harris (Ray Brown Trio), and drum legend Harold Jones (Duke Ellington, Count Basie). This hi-res release lends a startling sense of depth and detail to the sound, making for an immensely enjoyable and intimate listen.

Oscar Peterson performs works popularized by Frank Sinatra. Including hit songs "You Make Me Feel So Young", "I Get a Kick Out of You" and more!

The Ellis-Pass duo, with rather few appearances in its unfortunately short career, usually began with Ellis on lead, Pass on rhythm, then (after a number of choruses) things were switched, with Pass on top. Usually, particularly when it was a sensationally “up” evening (as was that July night) the two then shed Brown and Hanna for a number of rounds of free-swinging guitar sparring.

Although often associated with the blues, only one of the ten selections on this quartet set by pianist Gene Harris (who is joined by guitarist Ron Eschete, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Jeff Hamilton) is technically a blues. On this excellent all-around showcase for the soulful pianist, Harris sounds in prime form exploring such tunes as "This Masquerade", "Don't Be That Way", Eddie Harris' "Listen Here", and "The Song Is Ended". Listen Here! gives listeners a pretty definitive look at Gene Harris' accessible and swinging style.

This unique 1958 recording is a collaboration between Coleman Hawkins and the Oscar Peterson Trio. Hawkins's voluminous, supple tenor sax sound, which had a great influence on the styles of musicians ranging from Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins up to Joe Lovano, is best heard on Honey Flower.