Samara Joy makes her Verve debut, with a voice, tone and phrasing that harkens back to the most iconic jazz vocalists of all time. At just 22 years old, Samara already belongs in the company of iconic label mates from Ella Fitzgerald to Sarah Vaughan to Billie Holiday, and is poised to become synonymous with timeless jazz music. Her stunningly timeless voice belies her youth and her approach to jazz feels reverent but also truly fresh and exciting.

The Best of Michael Franks: A Backward Glance is a good 15-track collection that is equally divided between soft rock like "Popsicle Toes" and smooth jazz. Any curious listener looking for a one-stop introduction to Franks would be well served with this collection. Among the highlights are "The Lady Wants to Know," "Antonio's Song," "When the Cookie Jar Is Empty," "Tiger in the Rain," "Baseball," "Your Secret's Safe with Me," "When I Give My Love to You," "The Art of Love," "Soul Mate," and "Hourglass".

On his 35th album as a leader, pianist and composer David Benoit changed up his game. Remarkably, 2 in Love is the very first time in his long career that he's worked with a vocalist on an entire album. His chosen collaborator is Jane Monheit, one of the most celebrated mainstream jazz singers. All but one of these ten songs are originals co-written with three different lyricists: Lorraine Feather, Mark Winkler, and Spencer Day. Produced by the pianist, 2 in Love was cut live in the studio – a daunting prospect for most contemporary vocalists. But Monheit is no ordinary singer. Check her delivery on the knotty, Latin-tinged opener "Barcelona Nights." She glides through the changes and imbues her canny phrasing with just a hint of samba, with each articulated syllable entrenched in the song's groove. The sultry passion in her utterance is complemented beautifully by Pat Kelly's nylon-string guitar in the bridge. The title track is a swinging bossa with charging piano and hand percussion. Monheit has demonstrated throughout her career that her grasp on the form is both expert and soulful.

Eri Ohno is a Japanese pop, funk and jazz singer.
Eri Ohno recorded her debut album Feeling Your Love and the single "Trad Man" (Better Days) in 1979, followed by several albums on the Denon and Nippon Columbia record labels. She recorded the album Eri My Dear (1982) with Toshiyuki Daitoku (keyboards), Cecil McBee (bass) and Billy Hart (drums). With Hank Jones, Eddie Gomez and Jimmy Cobb, an album with songs by Cole Porter like "I Get a Kick Out of You", "Love for Sale" or "Night and Day" was released in Tokyo in 1984.

Harold Mabern's second release on Smoke Sessions Records, Afro Blue, is a very special recording featuring guest vocalists Gregory Porter, Norah Jones, Jane Monheit, Kurt Elling, and Alexis Cole. The chemistry of these artists with Harold the sound of his piano voicings combined with their voices is extraordinary. Well-known in jazz circles as a consummate accompanist for instrumental soloists, The Mabe also has a special gift for sensitive and supportive playing behind singers. It's something he takes pride in and has been doing since he first hit the stage at Birdland half a century ago with Betty Carter.

Award-winning Canadian jazz contrabassist, singer, and composer Brandi Disterheft and her Trio have unveiled their new single, “Surfboard” along with a video for the release. Featuring the legendary saxophonist George Coleman (Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock), "Surfboard" is a Brazilian Jazz album showcasing Juno Award winning Brandi Brandi Disterheft's inventive writing, power-socket bass playing, and sweet ethereal vocals alongside Portinho the "James Brown of Brazilian Funk Samba” on drums (Harry Belafonte, Paquito De Rivera) this trio shines with slick vignette arrangements paying homage to composers from Carlos Jobim to bassist Sam Jones.

Looking for a smart, never-out-of-style singer who turns in a perfectly solid collection of Christmas songs, including a few surprises? J.T. is your man on James Taylor at Christmas, which is nicely balanced between pop and jazz selections, with more stately hymn-like fare and balladry. Always fine in his charmingly understated voice, Taylor and company try out the old gospel standard "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and the memorable "Some Children See Him." He smoothly cuts through "Winter Wonderland" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" with a bit of jazz flavor, and reprises Joni Mitchell's increasingly popular Christmas song (even though it's about getting away from the holiday), "River." One of the album's most satisfying delights is Taylor's funky version of "Jingle Bells," sung in a kind of barroom stomp with the most intriguing phrasing since Barbra Streisand sang it in the '60s. Soulful and bright and moody as well (when Taylor sings "In the Bleak Midwinter," you believe it's indeed rough), there's barely a clinker here.

All Of Me is a studio album by American jazz singer and guitarist John Pizzarelli, backed by a string orchestra that includes only one member of his normal trio, brother Martin Pizzarelli. Also on the album is his father, the legendary Bucky Pizzarelli.

New Standards is a studio album by a young John Pizzarelli attempting to create modern standards in the Great American Songbook. The release was not met with much enthusiasm, as most critics felt Pizzarelli was capable of much better offerings. Aside from his regular trio of himself, Martin Pizzarelli and Ray Kennedy, a host of other musicians join Pizzarelli on this album (including his father Bucky Pizzarelli).