"Ride Daddy Ride: Vintage Songs About Sex 1927-1953" is a compilation album that features a selection of early 20th-century songs with suggestive and risqué themes, dating from 1927 to 1953. The tracks on this album capture the humor, innuendo, and open references to sexuality that were part of the blues, jazz, and swing scenes of the time.

In the midst of a scorching European tour in 1959, Gerry Mulligan appeared with the Night Lights band at the peak of their powers. Released in conjunction with the Mulligan Estate, this set of recordings has never before been officially issued. Mastered and cut from the original tape transfers by Kevin Gray, it features a newly designed sleeve with rare tour photograph and words from original bassist Bill Crow.

During his extended "stay" in Europe circa the late '50s and early '60s, Chet Baker produced half a dozen albums for the Riverside Records subsidiary label Jazzland. On Chet Baker in Milan – the first of his overseas sides – Baker revisits the familiar stomping grounds of West Coast cool, even though he is the only American in the band. The basic quartet includes Chet Baker (trumpet), Renato Sellani (piano), Franco Serri (bass), and Gene Victory (drums). However, on a majority of the cuts, that unit is upgraded to a sextet with sax players Glauco Masetti (alto) and Gianno Basso (tenor). According to Peter Drew's brief liner notes essay, these Italian players were found by a local record label and arrangements were essentially retrofitted to suit Baker.

Four CD set. One of the first generation of British rock 'n' roll stars, Marty Wilde celebrates his 80th birthday with this very personal quartet of discs from across a musical career which spans over six decades. During the late 1950s, Marty was one of the biggest UK pop stars, with a string of Top 10 hits for Philips Records, on which he was often backed by The Wildcats. As the '60s dawned, Marty continued to enjoy chart success while evolving his sound away from American rock 'n' roll. In the mid-'60s, he also recorded as folk-pop trio The Wilde Three with wife Joyce (ex-Vernons Girls) and future Moody Blues star Justin Hayward. During the late 1960s, Marty became a hit songwriter for other artists, penning originals for The Casuals ('Jesamine'), Status Quo ('Ice In The Sun') and Lulu ('I'm A Tiger'). While his own career continued apace throughout the 1970s, Marty was also heavily involved with the launch of daughter Kim's career in the early 1980s. In recent years, Marty has fronted one of Britain's most respected rock 'n' roll bands. Marty is a unique celebration of Marty's long and illustrious career. While Discs One and Two are devoted to all of his early A's and B's, Disc Three unveils a hitherto unissued Radio Luxembourg performance from 1959 while Disc Four boasts a whole CD's worth of previously unheard demo recordings handpicked from Marty's own archive. Beautifully presented with remastered sound, detailed sleeve-notes and a booklet awash with images from across the years, Marty perfectly commemorates the musical legacy of one of Britain's most enduring talents who was awarded an MBE for his achievements.

The album "INTEGRAL LES McCANN 1959 - 1962" is a collection that highlights some of the best works from jazz pianist and vocalist Les McCann during the early years of his career. This remastered release from 2024 features McCann's soulful and groove-based style, combining elements of jazz, blues, and gospel, which helped him gain widespread recognition in the jazz scene of the 1960s.

Indulge in a blissful audio escape with "Loungin' - The Easy Pop Album." This 3-disc collection is a haven of easy listening classics that will provide a calming and enjoyable backdrop to any part of your day. Ease into the captivating melodies of "Chanson D'Amour" by The Manhattan Transfer, and the sentimental "Forever & Ever" by Demis Roussos. With tracks like John Denver's "Annie's Song" and Bread's "Make It With You", this disc sets the tone for a serene musical journey. End the disc on a dreamy note with the timeless "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton. Continue your journey with the soulful "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell, and "The Most Beautiful Girl" by Charlie Rich. Heartfelt renditions like "All By Myself" by Eric Carmen and "Without You" by Harry Nilsson encapsulate the heartfelt essence of this disc. Close out with Ralph McTell's touching "Streets of London," for a perfect end to this auditory voyage.

This quote, which accompanies a vintage photograph of three African American women lifting their hands heavenward, is not only featured prominently in Put the Whole Armour On, a two-CD tribute to 1940s and 1950s female gospel artists, but it serves as an apt prelude to the collection. That is, notwithstanding the prominence of women in African American churches, most denominations did not allow women to become pastors. In response, some females became evangelists, saving souls through street corner oratory as well as gospel music. The 54 selections curated for this collection cover some of the most popular gospel singers of the golden era like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Clara Ward, and Mahalia Jackson. Included is Jackson’s initial and unsuccessful but plaintively rendered Apollo Records release “I’m Going to Tell God.” The package also introduces lesser-known figures such as Madam Ernestin Martin, Mary Frazier, and Mari Brown, whose lilting voice delicately delivers “Did You Stop to Pray This Morning” with R&B pioneers the Johnny Moore Trio.

The story of jazz for the general reader as it has never been told before, from the inside out: a comprehensive, eloquent, scrupulously researched page-turner. In this vivid history of jazz, a respected critic and a leading scholar capture the excitement of America’s unique music with intellectual bite, unprecedented insight, and the passion of unabashed fans. They explain what jazz is, where it came from, and who created it and why, all within the broader context of American life and culture. Emphasizing its African American roots, Jazz traces the history of the music over the last hundred years. From ragtime and blues to the international craze for swing, from the heated protests of the avant-garde to the radical diversity of today’s artists, Jazz describes the travails and triumphs of musical innovators struggling for work, respect, and cultural acceptance set against the backdrop of American history, commerce, and politics. With vibrant photographs by legendary jazz chronicler Herman Leonard, Jazz is also an arresting visual history of a century of music.

One couldn't imagine a better opening number for the radio program The Doris Day Show than "It's Magic," for each week between March 1952 and May 1953, the versatile song stylist and beloved motion picture star cast a spell over listeners worldwide with an intimate gathering of famous friends filled with music and laughter. Over the course of five dozen broadcasts of The Doris Day Show–recorded in Hollywood in front of a live audience and happily preserved on 16-inch transcription discs–Doris joined her special guests at the piano for performances of songs she often had never commercially recorded. This is a largely unknown and scarcely documented facet of Doris' career, and Day Time on the Radio brings to light no less than 32 rarities including 27 duets and five solo performances. Among her notable foils are frequent leading man Gordon MacRae, who starred in five pictures with Doris; here the two of them sing a total of four duets, highlighted by their medley of "Cuddle Up a Little Closer"/"Till We Meet Again."

The newly released "Tea for Two: British Artists Play American Standards" is a compilation album that showcases 25 tracks of classic American standards performed by British artists. It includes well-known songs like “Love for Sale,” “I've Got You Under My Skin,” “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” and the title track "Tea for Two." Performers range from notable orchestras like The Laurie Johnson Orchestra to individual artists such as Lita Roza and Joe Henderson.

Not many European-born musicians have been admitted to the select inner circle of jazz innovators. One of them, of course, is the Belgian Jean Toots Thielemans. His amazing capacity to coax real music from a harmonica made of him a true virtuoso. And, as a guitarist, Toots also proved to be more than proficient at playing simple and eloquent, as we can appreciate in this charming program of nice music carried forth with taste, creativity and restrain.

Quiet Kenny is an album by the American jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham of performances recorded in 1959 and released on the New Jazz label. The Allmusic review by Michael G. Nastos awarded the album 4½ stars and stated: "Cool and understated might be better watchwords for what the ultra-melodic Dorham achieves on this undeniably well crafted set of standards and originals that is close to containing his best work overall during a far too brief career… Never known as a boisterous or brash player, but also not a troubadour of romanticism… Dorham's music is also far from complacent, and this recording established him as a Top Five performer in jazz on his instrument. It comes recommended to all."

In the mid-20th century, Louisville gospel music was occasionally recorded when members of the local gospel community pressed 45rpm records and LPs, and released them through grassroots record labels such as Sensational Sounds, Grace, Blessed, and D.J.S. Over the years, a substantial body of work was produced in our city, but those recordings are in danger of being lost forever.The Louisville Story Program has been working with dozens of people in the local gospel music community to locate, digitize, and preserve hundreds of these recordings and to develop a book that documents and honors the legacies of the people and communities that produced them.For decades, the passion, hard work, and support of countless people across dozens of Black church communities in Louisville have nurtured and sustained a rich gospel music ecosystem. This music has served as a central part of people's religious practice and as an expression of Black pride, joy, affirmation, love, dignity, determination, and hope. This legacy continues to this day.

INTEGRAL JIMMY SMITH 1957 - 1962 (Remastered Version) is a comprehensive collection of Jimmy Smith’s works from this highly influential period in jazz. Released in 2024, it includes 93 tracks that showcase Smith’s pioneering mastery of the Hammond B-3 organ, blending jazz, blues, and soul. This remastered version brings renewed clarity to his collaborations with notable musicians such as Kenny Burrell and Art Blakey. It features classics like "The Sermon!" and "Back at the Chicken Shack"​.

Andre Previn was a celebrated German/American pianist, composer and conductor, whose long career – he died in 2019 at the age of 89 – encompassed movie music, jazz and classical music. He composed or arranged music for more than 50 films, and was music al director and conductor for many top symphony orchestra as well as composing classical art music. This collection focuses on his early career as a jazz pianist. His family, who were Jewish, left Berlin for Paris and then the USA in 1938, and when he graduated from high school in Los Angeles in 1946, started working at MGM studios. However, by then he was already playing jazz piano in Hollywood clubs and had made his first records. This 66-track 3-CD collection comprises most of his recordings from these early years as a solo pianist, with small groups and with strings, released on the Sunset, V-Disc, Monarch, RCA-Victor and Tops labels. It includes the titles from his “Andre Previn Plays George Gershwin” and “Andre Previn Plays Fats Waller” albums. He was especially noted for his recordings with his trios, and this set features trio and quartet recordings with Irving Ashby, Red Callender, Lee Young, Al Viola, Charles Parnell, Jackie Mills, Bob Bain, Ralph Collier, Lloyd Pratt, Art Shapiro, Irv Cottler, Al Hendrickson Buddy Clark and Shelly Manne. Among his remarkable musical accomplishments, he was a brilliant pianist, and even at this early stage of his career, his playing is fast, fluent and imaginative, and this collection offers a fine showcase for those talents.