From Boogie to Funk finds the somewhat undercelebrated swing trumpeter Bill Coleman at a late period in his career, nailing down this set of blues in Paris with a fine group in 1960. The set begins wonderfully with an extended journey through a 16-minute two-part piece entitled "From Boogie to Funk," with the first part subtitled "The Blues" and the second titled "The Boogie." The subtitles prove fitting as Coleman indeed picks up the pace a bit for the second part, and from there the album never really slows down much. It's this swinging feel that propels the later pieces - "Bill, Budd and Butter," "Afromotive in Blue," "Colemanonlogy," and "Have Blues, Will Play 'Em" - which were all composed by Coleman, as were the two parts of "From Boogie to Funk." Overall, this set never hits a lull and proves delightful throughout, making one wish Coleman would have recorded a few more sessions such as this while in Paris…

Howard Roberts was a talented guitarist on the level of a Barney Kessel or Herb Ellis, who spent most of his career playing commercial music in the studios. Shortly after he moved to Los Angeles in 1950, Roberts was firmly established in the studios, although on occasion he recorded jazz (most notably twice for Verve during 1956-1959, a Concord session from 1977, and one for Discovery in 1979); however, most of his other output (particularly for Capitol in the 1960s) is of lesser interest. The co-founder of the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, Roberts was an enthusiastic and talented educator, and wrote a regular instructional column for Guitar Player.

With his beautiful, Lester Young-inspired tone, his grace with a melody, and his willingness to gently push boundaries, tenor saxophonist Stan Getz was known as "The Sound" for good reason. Coming to fame with the Woody Herman band in the '40s, he held his own through both the swing and bebop eras, then found renewed commercial success in the early '60s when a João Gilberto collaboration, "The Girl from Ipanema," was a big hit and ushered in a bossa nova boom. Getz loved playing with bold young players like Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke, and he didn't shy away from new technology, championing the Echoplex for a time. This wonderful set includes the albums he recorded for Columbia Records between 1972 and 1979 (most of which he produced himself), as well as the soundtrack LP to a Dutch film called Forest Eyes from 1979, and a bonus disc of Getz at Carnegie Hall for the 40th anniversary of the Woody Herman band…

Touch of Evil is one of Henry Mancini’s most celebrated film scores, originally composed for Orson Welles’ 1958 noir classic. The soundtrack stands out for its innovative fusion of cool jazz, Latin rhythms, blues, and early rock & roll influences, creating a vivid musical atmosphere that reflects the tension, corruption, and moral ambiguity of the film’s border-town setting. Mancini uses Afro-Cuban percussion, smoky jazz arrangements, and moody instrumental themes to evoke both danger and seduction, balancing dramatic suspense with an energetic nightlife feel. The score moves fluidly between ominous orchestral passages and lively club-inspired pieces, demonstrating Mancini’s versatility and cinematic instinct. Tracks such as “Main Title,” “Borderline Montuna,” and “Background To Murder” showcase his ability to build mood through rhythm and texture rather than traditional orchestral grandeur. Widely regarded as a landmark in film music history, the soundtrack remains an influential example of jazz-infused noir scoring and atmospheric cinematic composition.

What's better than a Bill Evans Trio album? How about a Bill Evans trio album on which the bassist is Percy Heath, the drummer is Connie Kay, and the leader is not Evans but alto sax god Cannonball Adderley, making the group actually a quartet? It's a different sort of ensemble, to be sure, and the musical results are marvelous. Adderley's playing on "Waltz for Debby" is both muscular and sensitive, as it is on the other Evans composition here, a modal ballad called "Know What I Mean?" Other treats include the sprightly "Toy" and two takes of the Gershwin classic "Who Cares?" The focus here is, of course, on Adderley's excellent post-bop stylings, but it's also interesting to hear Evans playing with a rhythm section as staid and conservative as Kay and Heath (both charter members of the Modern Jazz Quartet). It's hard to imagine any fan of mainstream jazz not finding much to love on this very fine recording.

Barney Kessel was an American jazz guitarist. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups as well as a "first call" guitarist for studio, film, and television recording sessions. Kessel was a member of the group of session musicians informally known as the Wrecking Crew. This EU-only four CD set containing seven classic albums by the Jazz great. Includes the albums Let's Cook, Kessel Plays Carmen, Some Like It Hot, the Poll Winners, Barney Kessel's Swingin' Party, Workin' Out and Bossa Nova.

Woody Herman A fine swing clarinetist, an altoist whose sound was influenced by Johnny Hodges, a solid soprano saxophonist, and a spirited blues vocalist, Woody Herman's greatest significance to jazz was as the leader of a long line of big bands. He always encouraged young talent and, more than practically any bandleader from the swing era, kept his repertoire quite modern. Although Herman was always stuck performing a few of his older hits (he played "Four Brothers" and "Early Autumn" nightly for nearly 40 years), he much preferred to play and create new music.Woody Herman began performing as a child, singing in vaudeville. He started playing saxophone when he was 11, and four years later he was a professional musician. He picked up early experience playing with the big bands of Tom Gerun, Harry Sosnik, and Gus Arnheim, and then in 1934, he joined the Isham Jones orchestra. He recorded often with Jones, and when the veteran bandleader decided to break up his orchestra in 1936, Herman formed one of his own out of the remaining nucleus. The great majority of the early Herman recordings feature the bandleader as a ballad vocalist, but it was the instrumentals that caught on, leading to his group being known as "the Band That Plays the Blues." Woody Herman's theme "At the Woodchopper's Ball" became his first hit (1939). Herman's early group played with a Dixieland feel to many of the looser pieces, with vocals contributed by Mary Ann McCall, in addition to Herman.

Altoist Bud Shank recorded frequently as a leader during 1954-1969 for Richard Bock's Pacific Jazz and World Pacific labels, but very few of those diverse records (other than his collaborations with guitarist Laurindo Almeida) are currently available. An exception is this CD reissue of a live set by his 1956 group for the obscure Concept label. Recorded in early stereo by Gerry MacDonald, the Shank Quartet (with pianist Claude Williamson, bassist Don Prell and drummer Chuck Flores) was caught during a seven-month period when they worked regularly at the Haig in Los Angeles. They stretch out on Williamson's "Ambassador Blues" and a variety of standards, playing cool-toned bop and pushing themselves. Easily recommended to straight-ahead jazz fans.

Overlooked solo work from John Lewis - a lesser-known, Japanese-only session that features the pianist in a relaxed trio setting. The mode here is as spacious as some of Lewis' more contemplative records - still very much wrapped up in that careful sense of tone and timing - but the overall feel is maybe more personal and spontaneous, as John takes the lead in the company of Connie Kay on drums and Michael Moore on bass. There's a nicely mature feel to the music - but mature in a way that gets past some of Lewis' too-serious modes of a decade or two previous.

Further Ahead: Live in Finland (1964-1969), a stunning new collection of never-before-heard performances by the master jazz pianist Bill Evans, will arrive as a limited, 180-gram two-LP set on Record Store Day (April 12, 2025) from Elemental Music. This set of major discoveries — which will also be released in a two-CD edition on April 18 — is the 13th Evans archival package to be produced by the award-winning “Jazz Detective” Zev Feldman in cooperation with the Bill Evans Estate.

Whether as a trumpeter or singer, Chet Baker was always the subject of controversy among jazz listeners, a victim of fashion who was doomed in his lifetime to be either over- or underrated. These Pacific Jazz recordings from the mid-1950s present Baker the instrumentalist at the height of his popularity. While his coolly passive treatments of ballads like "Imagination" and "Stella by Starlight" may play to the languid stereotype of West Coast jazz, there's boppish fire and invention on the medium- and up-tempo tunes, with Baker emphasizing the middle register that was his forte. Altoist Art Pepper and valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer turn up among the supporting cast, and there's a good choice of material by boppish heads from both coasts, including Carson Smith's "Carson City Stage," Jimmy Heath's "C.T.A.," and Al Haig's "Jumping Off a Clef".

The Legendary Scott LaFaro is a highly regarded compilation showcasing the revolutionary bassist's brief but immense career (roughly 1958-1961), featuring his work with Bill Evans, Ornette Coleman, and others. It highlights his melodic, fluid, and high-register style, which redefined modern jazz bass, with recordings often hailed as "genius" and essential for jazz history.

One of tenor-saxophonist Lester Young's final studio sessions (he died a year later), this date apparently had a lot of difficulties but the recorded results are excellent. Prez was joined by two great swing trumpeters (Roy Eldridge and Harry "Sweets" Edison) and a fine rhythm section for two standards, two originals and the ballad "Gypsy in My Soul." Young takes rare clarinet solos on two of the selections with his emotional statement on "They Can't Take That Away from Me" being one of the highpoints of his career.

Aaron Sachs is best known as a clarinet player, but he also serves up some mighty mean tenor sax on this rare date for Bethlehem - work on the horn that really makes the record a standout! Sachs plays tenor on about half the tracks, and uses the instrument in these cool clipped phrases that are almost as deft as his equally great work on the clarinet - although that latter instrument has a lighter, more stepping tone in the album's modern arrangements. Urbie Green is on trombone and Danny Bank plays baritone sax - and both players set up a nice "bottom" for Sachs to work against - and rhythms dance lightly and nicely with work by Barry Galbraith on guitar, Clyde Lombardi on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums.

This little-known but remarkable album from Chet Baker brings together instrumental and vocal tracks, all infused with the swing and emotional depth that define his finest recordings. To fully highlight the qualities of this masterful session, a high quality remastering has been carried out, restoring the warmth and intimacy of the legendary Château d’Hérouville studios, which also hosted artists such as David Bowie and Pink Floyd.