Grady Tate has been one of the world's most versatile, frequently-recorded musicians for more than 40 years. He is often featured as a distinctive drummer, but in fact, he is also one of the best vocalists in the world. For this album, Grady Tate selects everything from standards to '50s musical hits number to his own composition, but the common theme is "love". That is the very message Tate, who celebrated his 70th birthday during the recording date, wanted to remind people of. Grady's voice swings gently and sometimes longingly together with the finest trio.

Chambers' latest release, Urban Groove, is about as good as it gets. An energizing set of standards and originals performed with the likes of Eric Reed, Gary Bartz, and Rufus Reid, Chambers is in top form, showing off his amazing technique not only on drums, but also vibes and marimba. Still, Chambers is careful not to pull too much attention away from his sidemen. Gary Bartz is electrifying throughout, and Eric Reed shines on piano.

Duke Jordan established his credentials as pianist during 1947-48 when he was Charlie Parker's pianist. His composing skills did not emerge until the arrival of hard bop in the mid fifties. Flight To Jordan, recorded on August 4, 1960 was his first full album as a leader and features the distinctive frontline of Stanley Turrentine and Dizzy Reece.

Whistle Stop is a jazz studio album by Kenny Dorham, featuring performances by acclaimed musicians Hank Mobley, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. "In 1975", Blumenthal states in the CD liner notes, "five British critics picked Whistle Stop as one of 200 albums that belonged in a basic library of jazz recorded after World War II".

Though he passed from cancer in 2008 at the young age of 52, jazz and rock guitarist Hiram Bullock lives on in the music he left behind. A music lover from the start, he played saxophone and bass guitar before claiming his place as a guitarist at the age of 16. He went on to appear on several albums with saxophonist David Sanborn, as well as other artists' session for record producer Phil Ramone. Mr. Bullock later started the 24th Street Band and the group made three albums. The 24th Street Band made several appearances on "Late Night With David Letterman" whenever Letterman's keyboardist Paul Shaffer needed a band. Shaffer dubbed them The World's Most Dangerous Band while Mr. Bullock, himself, earned the nickname "The Barefoot Guitarist". Those joining Mr. Bullock for the Late Night Talk album include organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, Joe Locke on electric and acoustic vibs, acoustic bassist Ed Howard and Idris Muhammad on drums.

Two weeks after Ike Quebec recorded his comeback album Heavy Soul for Blue Note, he was back at the Van Gelder Studio with the same band (Freddie Roach, Milt Hinton and Al Harewood), making a second album. The confidence paid off because It Might As Well Be Spring is every bit the classic the first album proved to be. Quebec's big-toned, vulnerable tenor playing is a thing to behold, as his heart-stopping version of the title tune, "Lover Man" and "Willow Weep For Me" attest. "Easy – Don't Hurt" is one of his blues masterpieces.

Roby Lakatos is a Gypsy violinist from Hungary. He is renowned for his mix of classical music with Hungarian Romani music and jazz themes. This album features popular film music themes from "The Third Man" to "Chocolat", from "Casablanca" to "Time of the Gypsies". The list of composers includes film music icons such as Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota, and Henry Mancini. German jazz trumpet-player Till Brönner appears as guest star on three tracks, including the title song.

My Funny Valentine: Miles Davis in Concert is a 1965 live album by Miles Davis. It was recorded at a concert at the Philharmonic Hall of Lincoln Center, New York City, NY, on February 12, 1964. Miles also recorded a studio version of the title song, muted, with piano trio backing in 1956. Two albums were assembled from the concert recording. The up-tempo pieces were issued as Four & More, while My Funny Valentine consists of the slow and medium-tempo numbers.

Pianist and jazz restructuralist Misha Mengelberg has received much acclaim for everything from his solo performances to his leadership of the Dutch ICP Orchestra, but the small-ensemble recordings he began making in the U.S. during the '90s are perhaps the best places to begin investigating his wonderfully offbeat charms. Four in One, recorded in September 2000 and subsequently released in "Super Audio CD" format by the Songlines label, is an album with particularly wide-ranging appeal, satisfying for listeners with tastes ranging from the avant-garde to more traditional post-bop, and certainly anyone interested in the commonality between Mengelberg and one of his primary influences, Thelonious Monk.

Sir Roland Hanna has released both jazz and classical albums, but this may be his most successful attempt to form a seamless blend of the two forms of music. On this album, Roland Hanna, Ron Carter and Grady Tate play nine tracks — eight written by classical composers, one Hanna original, and suprisingly enough for a piano trio session, not one blues. Schubert's "Serenade" swings like mad, Dvorak's "Going Home" sounds like a pop tune with a funk beat, Hanna's own "Like Grains Of Sand" and Rubinstein's "Melody In F" make for great bossa nova! Other highlights include Chopin's "Prelude Op. 28, No. 20", which is a superb feature for Ron Carter, and a suprisingly fresh version of Mozart's "Elvira Madigan, Concerto No. 21 C Major K467".

Super Standard is an album by pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Al Foster (billed for contractual reasons as the Super Trio) recorded in New York in 2004 and released on the Japanese Venus label.

John Patton, Grant Green and Ben Dixon were introduced to Blue Note by Lou Donaldson and quickly became the quintessential rhythm section for Blue Note's funkier session. They came together for this, John Patton's first album, with two of the label's tenor saxophonists Fred Jackson and Harold Vick. The double tenors and organ trio make an unbeatable combination for some soulful, swinging music. The title tune and "The Silver Meter" were radio hits that remain among the most popular of Patton's recorded performances.

Harold Mabern is a hard bop, post-bop and soul jazz pianist and composer. He is described in The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings as "one of the great post-bop pianists." On this release, Mabern is joined by Nat Reeves on bass, Joe Farnsworth on drums, and Eric Alexander on tenor sax.

Richie Beirach has mostly worked with two different trios. Recorded in 1999, this album contains pianist Richie Beirach's top-notch performances with a first-rate rhythm section of George Mraz and Billy Hart. The highlights include thrilling interpretations of "Nardis", "On Green Dolphon Street" and the title track.

Gettin' Together is a 1960 jazz album by saxophonist Art Pepper playing with Conte Candoli, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. The sleeve notes (by Martin Williams) describe the album as "a sort of sequel to the earlier Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section" which also featured Miles Davis rhythm section of its time.