Recorded in 1969, "Motions & Emotions" from Oscar Peterson is a bit of a departure from what the famed pianist was doing back in those days. Featuring lush orchestral arrangements by Claus Ogerman, known for his work with Frank Sinatra and more recently, Diana Krall, the album shows off Peterson and his trio members Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar and Bobby Durham on drums performing a wide range of cover songs, from the Beatles to Bacharach, Bobby Gentry to bossa nova.

5 by Monk by 5 is an album by the jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, recorded in 1959. It contains five of Monk's original compositions performed by a quintet. The Penguin Guide to Jazz described it as "A relatively little-known Monk session, but a very good one".

When Wes Montgomery made his first amazing impact on the New York jazz scene at the end of the 1950s, a great many established stars actively sought to record with him. Milt Jackson was one of the few for whom the guitarist felt an equal affinity. For one thing, they shared a strong love for the blues; and Wes had learned, through years of playing with his brother Buddy, to value the vibes/guitar sound. To support this memorable meeting of thoroughly compatible jazz masters, Riverside assembled one of the most cohesive recording rhythm sections of its day: Wynton Kelly, Sam Jones, and Philly Joe Jones.

Nat Adderley led a double creative life at Riverside: featured on the highly successful working-group albums led by his brother Cannonball, and also devising several intriguingly different projects under his own name. Very possibly the most interesting was Work Song, which took its title from one of Nat's most widely known soulful compositions, and took its instrumentation from the younger Adderley's fertile imagination. Cornet, cello, and guitar make up a front line that will probably never be duplicated. The guitarist was his friend Wes Montgomery, just emerging towards jazz stardom; the cellist was the longtime bassist of Cannonball's band, Sam Jones.

One of the only sessions tenor sax player Tina Brooks ever led during his short career, this 1960 recording features a superb studio lineup including trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, Duke Jordan on piano, Sam Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums. An accomplished songwriter, Brooks wrote every tune here except for one.

This complete double album of the 1956 live recording from Café Bohemia in New York City features Kenny Dorham and his musicians, including a very young Kenny Burrell on guitar. This album is included in the Penguin Guide to Jazz Core Collection where it was awarded four stars out of four.

"Open Sesame" is the debut album by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard released on the Blue Note label in 1960 as BST 84040. It features performances by Hubbard, Tina Brooks, McCoy Tyner, Sam Jones and Clifford Jarvis. The Penguin Guide to Jazz has included Open Sesame as part of a selected "Core Collection", and has summarized the album as "a great Blue Note set".

This 1970 session from Oscar Peterson and his trio is considered one of the high points of the pianist's career. Accompanied by Sam Jones on double bass and Bobby Durham on drums, Peterson delves into the world of bossa nova on tracks such as "Triste" by Antônio Carlos Jobim. The majority of the tunes here are standards but there is one Peterson original number entitled "Nightingale".

Unjustly ignored at the time of its release, Fred Jackson's lone album, Hootin' 'N Tootin', is a thoroughly enjoyable set of funky soul-jazz with hard bop overtones. It is true that Jackson doesn't try anything new on the set, but he proves to be a capable leader, coaxing hot, infectious performances out of guitarist Willie Jones, organist Earl Vandyke and drummer Wilbert Hogan, all of whom were collegues of Jackson in the Lloyd Price band.

Davis Cup is the debut album by American pianist Walter Davis Jr. featuring performances recorded in 1959 and released on the Blue Note label in 1960. It would be his only album for the label and one of the few recordings where he figured as the leader.

Ike Quebec's timeless, big-toned tenor was a frequent visitor to Rudy Van Gelder's studio in the early sixties. But this session from December 1961 with spare, soulful backing from Grant Green, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones is his masterpiece. The leaner setting works perfectly, evoking an aura of relaxation and monumentality, with the deepest blue of accents.

The Time Is Right is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Blue Note label and performed by Donaldson with Blue Mitchell, Horace Parlan, Laymon Jackson, Dave Bailey, and Ray Barretto with Sam Jones and Al Harewood replacing Jackson and Bailey on one track.

Anna Marie Wooldridge, known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career not only out of delivering deeply felt presentations of standards but writing and singing her own material. "It's Magic" is her third album featuring tracks recorded in 1958 for the Riverside label.

"Somethin' Else" is a monumental recording by jazz virtuoso Cannonball Adderley. Fans and critics have deemed the work as one of jazz's most influential records. The album is an exhilarating display of hard bop and features stunning contributions by Miles Davis, Hank Jones, Sam Jones and Art Blakey. It is included on The Penguin Guide to Jazz's "Core Collection". The album features thrilling solos and the stunning tunes "Somethin' Else" and "Dancing in the Dark".

Movin' & Groovin' is the debut album by American jazz pianist Horace Parlan featuring performances recorded and released on the Blue Note label in 1960. The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine states, "Movin' and Groovin' is a thoroughly impressive affair, establishing Parlan as a distinctive hard bop stylist… Everything swings, no matter the tempo, and the end result is a fine debut from a distinctive pianist".