Various Artists: Mod Jazz and Then Some!

Drawn from the likes of Prestige and Tru-Sound, this is 1960s grits-and-gravy soul jazz, funk and blues: good club music...

Reviewed by Alyn Shipton in issue: August/2014

George Melly: Sings ‘Doom’ – The Hedonistic’50s

George Melly | His Dixielanders & Mick Mulligan's band | Alex Welsh

Here he is, the enfant terrible of British trad, caught in his early pomp as the band singer with the...

Reviewed by Peter Vacher in issue: August/2014

Various Artists: Exotica Classics

Oddities galore by Miriam Burton (acquired taste), flautist Bob Romeo (better), Frank Hunter (strange) and the peerless Buddy Collette and...

Reviewed by Alyn Shipton in issue: August/2014

Dave Brubeck: Countdown ’ Time In Outer Space

The classic Desmond/Wright/Morello 1961 version of the quartet continues its time signature experiments with aplomb across 11 original tracks and...

Reviewed by Alyn Shipton in issue: August/2014

The Gascoyne O'Higgins Quartet: The Real Note Vol. 2

Sebastiaan de Krom | Sebastiaan De Krom | Graham Harvey | Dave O'Higgins | Geoff Gascoyne

Following the satisfying Vol. 1 comes the understandably titled Vol. 2 of this band's exploration of ‘contrafacts’: new compositions built...

Reviewed by Andy Robson in issue: August/2014

Benny Carter: Can Can and Anything Goes/Aspects

Benny in 1958 in a small group playing Cole Porter sublimely (shame about Ted Sommer's jokey percussion) and with his...

Reviewed by Alyn Shipton in issue: August/2014

Curtis Stigers: Hooray For Love

Matthew Fries | Curtis Stigers | Keith Hall | Cliff Schmitt | John ‘Scrapper’ Sneider | Matt Munisteri

US vocalist and instrumentalist Curtis Stigers has now amassed quite an impressive discography on Concord Records. Hooray For Love is...

Reviewed by Peter Quinn in issue: August/2014

Duke Ellington: Ellington 65

If you don't have the Rhino/Mosaic complete Reprise Ellington, this the core of the idea – 1960s pop tunes given...

Reviewed by Alyn Shipton in issue: August/2014

Eddie Gomez & Carsten Dahl: Live At Montmartre

Carsten Dahl | Eddie Gomez

This is very different from Gomez's last release, Per Sempre, recorded with Italian sidemen and original material in 2008 and...

Reviewed by Brian Priestley in issue: August/2014

Enrico Pieranunzi: Stories

Antonio Sanchez | Scott Colley | Enrico Pieranunzi

Cam Jazz only recently reissued the splendid double-CD Play Morricone set by Enrico Pieranunzi with Marc Johnson and Joey Baron,...

Reviewed by Robert Shore in issue: August/2014