Pearls
Artist: David Sanborn

David Sanborn is joined on this CD by an orchestra arranged by Johnny Mandel for a set of music dominated by melodic versions of standards. Sanborn does not get all that far away from the themes (which include "Try a Little Tenderness," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "For All We Know," "This Masquerade" and a very emotional "Everything Must Change"... Read More

Sol to Soul
Artist: Freddie Ravel
Birdman
Artist: Mujician

Recording again after a two-year interval, and again in front of a small live audience, Mujician offers more of its unique style of wide-ranging collective improvisation. This CD consists of three long, diffuse pieces, with one just under 30 minutes and another just over that length. On the somewhat austere and abstract title piece, Paul Dunmall... Read More

A Sultry Serenade
Artist: Jim Beebe

This is a high-quality Dixieland/swing set recommended to lovers of classic jazz. The musicianship in Jim Beebe's group is quite high; the standards are given fresh interpretations, and there is plenty of variety. In addition to the leader's fluent trombone, the band features cornetist Connie Jones (who on ballads occasionally hints strongly at... Read More

Michel Legrand Album
Artist: Trotter Trio

The Trotter Trio pays tribute to Michel Legrand's large body of film themes with The Michel Legrand Album. Comprised of such classic songs as "What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life," "How Do You Keep the Music Playing," and "Pieces of Dreams," the record is a lush, affectionate salute to one of the cinema's greatest composers and is a... Read More

Jane Jarvis Jams
Artist: Jane Jarvis

Pianist Jane Jarvis, who was nearly 80 at the time of this record, had a rare opportunity to lead her own session. Bassist Bob Haggart and drummer Grady Tate complete the rhythm section while Dan Barrett (doubling on trombone and some surprisingly effective cornet) often takes solo honors. Highlights of this swinging session include ""When Your... Read More

Nice Work If You Can Get It...
Artist: The Hi-Lo's

This doesn't have anything from their most popular albums (made for Columbia in the late 1950s), drawing from LPs they cut for Starlite between 1954 and 1956 (as well as their 1953 debut EP for Trend). The Hi-Lo's had already hit their artistic stride in the mid-1950s, however, and this album is jammed with their energetic adaptations of... Read More

Full Circle
Artist: Kilauea

Since Kilauea first stormed the smooth jazz airwaves in 1991, keyboardist Daniel Ho's lush ballads and lighthearted pop musings have been performed by a band comprised of quickly rotating personnel and the occasional all-star guest. Until the release of Full Circle, it was easy to view Ho as more of a solo artist with great support. But the new... Read More