Peggy Lee - Jump For Joy (1958)

Peggy Lee - Jump For Joy , 1958 Remastered

  Step right in and "Jump For Joy" my friends.........get ready to tap your toes and play some air trumpet !   Take the late 1950's era Peggy Lee and toss in Nelson Riddle and his orchestra and you have an album of greatness.     Originally released in mono in 1957 and then in stereo in 1958 this DRG remaster puts the stereo mix for the first time on CD now for us to all JUMP for JOY to !
   Peggy Lee had a voice.........listen to her on "Old Devil Moon" or "Just In Time" ...lots of style and grace with a great jazz flare....
      An essential album !

Nat King Cole - After Midnight (1956)

Nat King Cole - After Midnight, 1956, SACD (Mono Recording) Analogue Productions

   After Midnight feels just like an album that you should be listening too after midnight.  This little delicate album gives you an early yet brilliant peek into the genius of a crooner beginning to blossom. Nat King Cole is on the mic and on the piano and is accompanied by his trio where together they get into some great soft jazz. I love all the Nat King Cole SACD AP releases and this one is no exception..

Of course Cole is the centerpiece of this album, but his trio are also amazing.....John Collins (guitar), Charlie Harris (Bass) and drummer Lee Young.

I do hear more tape hiss on this SACD than the other AP releases but that is not a deterrent just a fact of age of these vintage recordings. But make no mistake you have never heard this album so clear and so true to life....

The 50`s Mono never sounded sooooooo good...nor did Cole !

Scott Walker - Scott 3 (1969)

Scott Walker - Scott 3 (1969) Remastered HDCD

   If you have not heard the music of Scott Walker then you have really missed out.   For those who remember the Walker Brothers for the 60s will clearly remember the strong and expressive vocals of Scott Walker.  Scott 3 was his final album to hit the Top 10 in Britain and what made this album so unique was that the vast majority were self penned songs.......music, orchestration and lyrics !   Scott was totally inspired by the music of Jacques Brel and once again there are a few tracks in pure devotion as his ode (after all what would a Scott Walker album be without Jacque Brel !).
  Scott 3 is my favorite of all his solo albums and IMHO represents his most progressive album of the lot!  Fontana-Phonogram did a wonderful job on all of Scotts albums giving them the 24 bit HDCD remaster.  Pure angelic music that will simply blow your mind.
A pure genius.......pure genius

Nat King Cole - Just One Of Those Things (1957)

Nat King Cole - Just One Of Those Things, 1957 Analogue Productions (SACD)

  Brace yourself.........the huge symphonic brilliance of Billy May mixed with the mild mannered and hauntingly silky smooth voice of Crooner Nat King Cole.   In 1957 Cole shifted from Gordon Jenkins to Billy May to finally get the Sinatra experience which he always had wanted.   The end result is simply a magnificent album full of huge orchestration and soothing energy that really never stops bopping about.   Hoffman and Gray have done a awesome job on all the Nat King Cole SACD remasters and this one really swings !

"Cottage For Sale" is simply a masterpiece of cronnership' as Nat King Cole simply hits your heart dead on....

For those are too caught up in the modern music to really appreciate the good old stuff have simply missed out..... The mid 50's Nat King Cole albums are amazing !    

Frank Sinatra - Come Dance With Me (1959)

Frank Sinatra - Come Dance With Me, 1959

  I grew up listening to Frankie.....and my mom must have played this album 3 million times.....But for me this was the defining example of crooning and everything else seemed to pale in contrast to this album.   Sinatra was  THE Crooner......and 1959's "Come Dance With Me" represents the genius of  Sinatra with that of Billy May.  Take Schwartz and Dietz's "Dancing In The Dark" or Irving Berlin's "Cheek To Cheek" or maybe Johnny Mercer's "Day In Day Out" add the dynamic orchestra of May and the genius of Sinatra and you have something very extra special.  

Ray Charles + The Count Basie Orchestra (2007)

Ray Charles + The Count Basie Orchestra (2007) SACD

  Oh What A Beautiful Morning emotes Ray Charles to open up this fantastic album right off with a wonderful bang !   Soul and Big Band.....wow..........this is a stunning recording created from the vaults of Fantasy Records using demos of Ray Charles and musically adapted by the Count Basie Orchestra.   This wonderfully soulful album rocks with a little old and a little new.....a bit crooner...a bit soul...a bit Big Band and a whole lot Ray Charles.  The song "Every Saturday Night" is complete with Butter Beans and the most delicious harmonic back up singers that you have ever heard.
  A great album for those who like to really roll ..........

Judy Garland - The London Studio Recordings (1957 - 1964)

Judy Garland - The London Studio Recordings (1957 - 1964) 2 CD Set

  Here is one of my favorite CD sets of the past few years......The Abbey Road Session finally see the light of day from the unbelievable and timeless Judy Garland !

  This extraordinary 2 cd set from First Hand Records captures Judy at the height of her career and is taken from multiple different sessions while she was visiting London.  Included in this set is one of her great songs that was only released live during one of her concerts "It's lovely to be back in London" which is a magical mono recording.

  Each song has been carefully remastered from the original masters and carries a superb sound quality.

On CD two is very cool with some never before released version of songs recorded for musicals and a nice chunk of Judy in the studio in Abbey Road.....

 Her version of "over the rainbow" absolutely made me cry.......and it will to you too !

Brilliant stuff

Mel Torme - Swingin' On The Moon (1960)

Mel Torme - Swingin' On The Moon (1960)

  The Chill factor is high on this one kids !  Loung'ie and yet crooner'ish and yet jazzy and even a bit spacey ...all in one album.  Torme emotes that on track 2 Midnight Cocktails are THE thing !  I totally dig this album and think Mel had a great voice.  On this album Torme reinterpreted the songs to fit the theme of this album being that of the lunar space and stratosphere. 

Johnny Mathis - I`ll Buy You A Star (1961)

Johnny Mathis - I`ll Buy You A Star , Columbia Records, 1961

  Johnny Mathis....are you kidding me ?  No way am i kidding...........This album swings and grooves to the max !     If you are a fan of the big band and crooner scene then look no further than this album.   Essentially this is the Sinatra recipe with the big band wall of sound as created by Nelson Riddle and his orchestra and then the simply killer smooth voice and range of Johnny !   "Ill buy you a star" is THE album to croone out to kids.......trust me this album will hold your attention

Judy Garland - Live At Carnegie Hall, Capitol Records, 1961

Judy Garland - Live At Carnegie Hall, Capitol Records, 1961

    As you know I grew up with a musical mom who adored Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland.  "Judy Live" was an album that I grew up living to and had not heard this album in over 20 years (since the last time my mom played it and sang along...any maybe cried along the way).   Judy could tear your heart out and bring you as a listener to places few others could.  In 2001 Capitol Records released the 40th anniversary edition of this huge album.   Along the way Bob Norberg (Capitol Mastering) managed to find a missing track originally left off the album and unbelievably found the orignal had been overdubbed with crowd noise and fake applause and so Bob totally reconstructed this album in the proper sequence and included missing monologues and segments between songs.  The end result is simply breathtaking and I recently satr and re-listened to this album with my mom who said it "totally sounds like a new album".