Al Bowlly and the Great British Bands
Artist: Al Bowlly
Lulu's Back in Town - GIANTS OF JAZZ
Artist: Mel Tormé

Though the credits on this Italian import do not acknowledge it, this collection consists of material originally released on two Bethlehem Records albums, Mel Tormé With the Marty Paich Dektette (BCP 52) and Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire (BCP 6013), in 1957. The tracks have been mixed up together, which is okay since nearly the same players are... Read More

A Very Special Time
Artist: Mel Tormé

From the title alone, Rhino's three-disc box set A Very Special Time sounds more like a tribute to an aging Mel Tormé than what it actually is, a trio of his most celebrated albums, recorded at the peak of his career (two of which were out of print at the time of this release). The first two, Lulu's Back in Town and Sings Fred Astaire, are... Read More

Blues Bop & Ballads
Artist: Scott Hamilton

Big-toned tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton leads a swinging small group session that concentrates mostly on songs that didn't receive much attention in the 1990s. "Answer Me (My Love)" is a potent ballad feature for the leader that reveals the influence of Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster, while Hamilton also has fun with lively riff tunes like... Read More

The Best Things in Life
Artist: Mel Powell

The Best Things in Life is the first in a series of compilations chronicling Mel Powell's sessions for Vanguard in the late '50s. Originally, this material was released on four separate albums -- Out on a Limb, Thigamig, The Mel Powell Bandstand, Featuring Joan Wile and The Mel Powell Septet -- and this collection doesn't presume to assemble his... Read More

Live in San Francisco
Artist: Stéphane Grappelli

Although it does not say it anywhere, 11 of the 16 selections on this 1998 Storyville CD were originally on an LP put out 15 years earlier by the now defunct Black-Hawk label. For this fairly typical concert which does not have many surprises but is filled with plenty of joyful swing, Grappelli is teamed with guitarists Martin Taylor and Diz... Read More

Mel Tormé at the Red Hill/Live at the Maisonette
Artist: Mel Tormé

In 1998, Rhino did Mel Tormé fans a favor by packaging onto CD (for the first time) the two live dates Tormé recorded for Atlantic, 1962's Mel Tormé at the Red Hill and 1974's Live at the Maisonette. Since he thrived in a concert setting, these two LPs -- the first with a trio, the second with a full orchestra -- are great selections for those... Read More

Jazz Casual: Mel Torme
Artist: Mel Tormé