Trumpeter Chris Botti's To Love Again: The Duets picks up where his stellar 2004 release When I Fall in Love leaves off, with more gorgeously lush and heartfelt orchestral jazz via the London Session Orchestra. This time showcasing guest vocalists – as well as a handful of instrumental tracks – Botti takes an even more classicist approach than before and once again brings to mind such iconic jazz albums as Clifford Brown with Strings and Miles Davis' Porgy and Bess. Largely known as a smooth jazz artist with a sweet trumpet tone, it wasn't until When I Fall in Love that Botti dropped the smooth jazz synthesizers and pop-oriented compositions in favor of Gil Evans-style jazz orchestrations and an acoustic backing quartet.

America - Do You Remember The Love? is a powerful and genre-defying release by guitarist and vocalist James Blood Ulmer, issued in 1987 on Blue Note Records. The album blends elements of free jazz, funk, blues, and experimental rock into a raw and emotionally charged sound driven by Ulmer’s distinctive harmolodic guitar approach. Influenced by the musical concepts of Ornette Coleman, Ulmer creates dense rhythmic textures and unconventional melodic structures while maintaining a deep connection to groove-oriented funk and soul traditions. The performances throughout the album balance improvisational freedom with politically and socially reflective themes, giving the music both artistic intensity and emotional depth. Ulmer’s expressive guitar tone, rough-edged vocals, and fluid rhythmic interplay produce a unique crossover style that stands apart from traditional jazz recordings of the era. America - Do You Remember The Love? remains an important example of adventurous 1980s jazz fusion and showcases Ulmer’s innovative contribution to modern electric jazz guitar.

Known for his mariachi-inspired easy listening sound, trumpeter Herb Alpert is one of the most successful instrumental performers in pop history. He is also one of the entertainment industry's canniest businessmen, having co-founded A&M Records – a label that ranks among the most prosperous artist-owned companies ever established – with partner Jerry Moss. Collection includes: The Lonely Bull (1962); South Of The Border (1964); Whipped Cream & Other Delights (1965); !!Going Places!! (1965); What Now My Love (1966); S.R.O (1966); The Beat Of The Brass (1968); Rise (1979); Fandango (1982); Bullish (1984); Keep Your Eye On Me (1987); Classics, Volume 1 (1987); Steppin' Out (Featuring Lani Hall) (2013); In The Mood (2014); Come Fly With Me (2015).

An incredibly groovy session of Beatles tunes - one played by Dutch pianist Louis Van Dyke on a church organ, with no other instrumentation for accompaniment! Louis wisely chooses tracks from the later years of the Fab Four's career - some of the more introspective ones that have beautifully sweet themes that sound perfect on the massive pipe organ used for the record. The sound is quite unusual, but quite otherworldly as well - with none of the kitschy overtones you might expect, and instead a somewhat pointed, serious interpretation of these wonderful tunes.

For the first time in full a unique anthology of Hungarian TV and radio recordings by the legendary guitarist Gábor Szabó, captured during his return visits to Budapest in 1974, 1978, and 1981. This historic collection documents the deeply personal reconnection of an exiled artist with his homeland, bridging musical worlds and emotional landscapes.

A Tale Of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina) is a powerful and deeply emotional work by trumpeter Terence Blanchard, released in 2007 as a tribute to the victims and devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The album blends jazz with orchestral elements, creating a cinematic and highly expressive soundscape that reflects themes of loss, resilience, and remembrance. Blanchard’s trumpet playing is at the center of the recording, delivering haunting melodies and expressive phrasing that convey both sorrow and hope. The collaboration with The Northwest Sinfonia, conducted by Blanchard himself, adds a rich orchestral depth, elevating the music to a large-scale, almost film-score-like experience. Tracks such as “Ghost of Congo Square,” “Levees,” and “Funeral Dirge” highlight the album’s reflective and somber tone, while pieces like “Mantra” provide rhythmic intensity and emotional contrast. Supported by a strong ensemble including Brice Winston, Aaron Parks, Derrick Hodge, and Kendrick Scott, the album balances improvisation with composed orchestral writing. The result is a moving and cohesive artistic statement that stands as one of Blanchard’s most significant and impactful recordings.

"The "In" Crowd" is a vibrant and groove-oriented collection by pianist Ramsey Lewis, released in 1993 on Charly. The album captures the signature sound of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, blending jazz with soul, rhythm and blues, and crossover influences. Known for his accessible style and infectious energy, Lewis delivers engaging interpretations of popular standards and contemporary hits. Tracks like "The "In" Crowd" and "Wade In The Water" highlight the trio’s tight interplay and rhythmic drive, while renditions of "A Hard Day's Night" and "Dancing In The Street" showcase their ability to reinterpret well-known material with a fresh jazz perspective. Supported by Eldee Young on bass and cello and Redd Holt on drums, the album offers a dynamic mix of swing, groove, and melodic sophistication, making it a standout example of soul jazz at its finest.

Saxophonist and composer John Klemmer was restlessly following some inner call in the late 1960s through the late '70s. Aside from his big-boned tenor sound and his trademark unique Echoplex on certain tunes, he was making music that crossed numerous jazz, pop, rock, soul, and Latin genres. 1978's Arabesque is a case in point. Co-produced by the saxophonist and Stephan Goldman, Klemmer used a pool of studio players on this date in addition to a small band. Drummer Lenny White and bassist Abe Laboriel made up his trio, while pianists Roger Kellaway, Pat Rebillot, and Victor Feldman alternately held down the piano chair. The most telling thing about this date is Klemmer's employment of some of the best Brazilian percussionists in the game in Airto Moreira and Alex Acuña. The brilliant guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves also appears on a couple of cuts…

Issued on ABC in 1976, John Klemmer's Barefoot Ballet was the follow-up to the tremendously successful Touch in 1975. That set began to wrap up the various places he'd been musically in the early '70s while entering a new phase, where warm, rounded tones became his signature. Klemmer always stood outside of fusion circles, but his use of an Echoplex for his tenor opened many fusion fans to his sound. This date uses the Echoplex a lot less, tames the energy a bit, and looks with a confident gaze toward the era that would become smooth jazz with one major caveat: Klemmer was already a master technician who had come up through the big-boned honking tenors of hard bop and the modalism of John Coltrane. And unlike the hundreds of saxophonists who would follow him, Klemmer was, and remains, a brilliant melodic improviser. This set bears out the laid-back side of that gift…

Our Mann Flute (1966). Very groovy work from Herbie Mann - as you might guess from the image on the cover! The set's got a mod sort of 60s feel - hinted at by the title's reference to the Our Man Flint spy movies of the time - and Herbie keeps things tight and soulful throughout - serving up smoking solos over jazzy backings from Jimmy Wisner, Arif Mardin, Oliver Nelson, and Richard Wess. There's definitely a touch of the Atlantic Records soul instrumental sound at times - but we mean that in a great way, with a strong focus on the rhythms as much as the solos.
Impressions Of The Middle East (1967). In a way, this album's very similar to some of the best Verve "groovy experimental" albums from the same period - like some of Cal Tjader's Eastern/Latin work - and it features Herbie playing with a wide range of instrumentation that includes oud, zither, harp, and lots of eastern percussion…

True to the cute, winking title of her Heads Up debut, the glamorous and funky Dutch sax superstar offers a tasty little bagful of everything to please the funky, smooth, and exotic taste buds of jazz and R&B fans around the world. There's feisty, blistering jamming with multiple horn textures and jangling guitars (the sizzling opening track "Candy"), easy grooving, melodic old-school soul ("L.A. Citylights"), raw and thumping, brassy party singalongs ("Music = Love," the buoyant and breezy "Summertime"), and even a scorching Latin/Caribbean island dance-along ("La Cabana") and a jaunt to Jamaica (the jumpy, lilting "Smokin' Gun").