Air Mail Special
Artist: Terry Gibbs

Air Mail Special, a reissue CD put out in 1990, has seven of the eight songs originally on Palo Alto's Jazz Party/First Time Together and three numbers from the Tall Trees release Now's The Time. Since both of those labels are extinct, this was a welcome reissue although it would have been preferable to have the two original sets intact.... Read More

Piano Jazz: McPartland/Stacy
Artist: Marian McPartland
Community Score: 9.00

This is one of the most valuable of the Piano Jazz episodes for the great swing pianist Jess Stacy, who had been semiretired since the late '50s, made his final commercial recording in 1977. After stumbling a bit on "Dancing Fool," he is quite modest while discussing his own playing but he gets stronger as the hour progresses. Although Stacy has... Read More

More Jazz Meets the Symphony
Artist: Lalo Schifrin

Breaking the long-standing curse of sequels, the second installment of Schifrin's Jazz Meets the Symphony series is even better than the first. For one thing, Schifrin was able to place his own distinctive orchestral stamp more firmly upon these arrangements, sometimes reaching into his bag of tricks familiar to us from his film cues. For... Read More

My Mommy and Me
Artist: Matt Catingub
Live in the Netherlands
Artist: Toots Thielemans

This rather memorable Pablo recording, his only album as a leader for Norman Granz's label (although he made several notable appearances as a sideman), features the great jazz harmonica player Toots Thielemans in a sparse trio with guitarist Joe Pass and bassist Niels Pedersen. The four main numbers ("Blues in the Closet," "Thriving from a... Read More

Evening with George Shearing & Mel Tormé
Artist: George Shearing

Pianist George Shearing and singer Mel Tormé would match together perfectly every time they shared the stage; the mutual respect they had for each other was as obvious as the fact that they had very complementary styles. This CD, their first joint recording, is consistently exciting. With bassist Brian Torff making the group a trio, Shearing and... Read More

Two of the Few
Artist: Oscar Peterson

This CD reissue brings back a unique duet recording featuring pianist Oscar Peterson and vibraphonist Milt Jackson. One would expect the instrumentation to feature mostly ballads but the opposite is true as O.P. and Bags romp through quite a few uptempo pieces. Highlights include "Lady Be Good," "Limehouse Blues," "Reunion Blues" and "Just You,... Read More

Tribute to My Friends
Artist: Oscar Peterson
Community Score: 10.00

Pianist Oscar Peterson recorded so many albums for Pablo during 1972-83 that it must have been rather difficult for him to come up with fresh material and ideas for records. However this CD, which features songs associated with nine of his associates (ranging from Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday to Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald and Lester... Read More

Nigerian Marketplace
Artist: Oscar Peterson Trio

For this trio set with bassist Niels Pedersen and drummer Terry Clarke, the great pianist Oscar Peterson (appearing at the 1981 Montreux Jazz Festival) performs a medley of "Misty" and "Waltz for Debby," three standards, his own "Cakewalk" and the debut of "Nigerian Marketplace," the first section of an extended suite not yet completed at the... Read More

If You Could See Me Now
Artist: Oscar Peterson Four

Oscar Peterson recorded a countless number of albums for Norman Granz's Pablo label during 1972-83 before Granz decided to call a halt (which was temporary) to his company's operations. This set was the pianist's last before a three-year hiatus and it finds his quartet of the period (with guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Niels Pedersen and drummer... Read More

Face to Face
Artist: Oscar Peterson
Eximious
Artist: Joe Pass

Joe Pass took time off from his solo guitar projects to record this excellent trio set with bassist Niels-Henning Řrsted Pedersen and drummer Martin Drew. Pass swings hard throughout, is consistently inventive within the bebop tradition, and indulges in close interplay with Pedersen. Together, these musicians make the wondrous seem effortless.... Read More

The Oscar Peterson Big 4 in Japan '82
Artist: Oscar Peterson

For this two-LP set, pianist Oscar Peterson teams up with guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Niels Pedersen and drummer Martin Drew for a strong program comprised of 11 standards, six Peterson originals and Pedersen's "Future Child." The music is essentially straightahead bop with some impressionistic moments and with the rapid pieces being outnumbered... Read More