There's nothing particularly Appalachian about this set, other than the cover, really, but it is a graceful and balanced holiday album featuring Mark O'Connor's brilliant fiddle playing on several Christmas classics, along with friends and guests Renée Fleming, Alison Krauss, ...

Let's put the hook in right from the jump: Echoes of Indiana Avenue is perhaps the most significant release of previously unissued material by a major jazz artist since the The Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane: At Carnegie Hall ...

Organists have been an important part of Pat Martino's life since in the '60s. Along the way, the Philadelphia-born guitarist has played with a long list of skillful organists that includes Jimmy Smith, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Jack McDuff, Joey DeFrancesco, ...

2011 marked the 30th anniversary of Acoustic Alchemy; it was back in 1981 that Simon James and the late Nick Webb, Acoustic Alchemy's original co-leaders, started working together. These days, Acoustic Alchemy have two different co-leaders: Greg Carmichael and Miles ...

One of the challenges of being a mega-successful producer and artist whose talents run deeper and more diverse than what you're known for is trying to find a few spots to showcase that deeper soul in the midst of the ...

The 1963 Impulse! Records LP John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman helped to redefine the renowned jazz saxophonist by pairing him with a singer on a collection of standards, showing that Coltrane wasn't (or wasn't only) an avant-gardist bent on playing ...

When Jeff Lorber reignited the Jeff Lorber Fusion in 2010 with Now Is the Time, he sought to re-examine the very music he'd helped to establish: contemporary jazz. Its instrumental tracks were solid and satisfying, but the vocal cuts lacked, ...

Bassist Christian McBride was already turning heads as a teenaged sideman with Benny Green during the early '90s, showcasing formidable technique and imagination in his solos. Over the two decades since then, McBride has demonstrated his skills as a bandleader, ...

This 34-track collection features a quality sampling of Herb Alpert's most sought-after tracks from the '60s to the '80s. Highlights include the original versions of "What Now My Love," "This Guys in Love with You," "Spanish Flea," and "Rise." Recommended ...

When guitarist Al DiMeola left Return to Forever (again) after their 2008 reunion tour, Chick Corea solicited the help of the band's original axeman, Bill Connors, to rejoin the band for another tour. He did. While he rehearsed with Corea, ...

Liner Note Author: Doug Ramsey. Recording information: Van Gelder Recording Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (03/22/2012). Personnel: Joey DeFrancesco (organ); Larry Coryell (guitar); Jimmy Cobb (drums). Audio Mixer: Rudy Van Gelder.

Bria Skonberg is a young trumpeter//vocalist from Canada. She has toured the world, playing major festivals and venues, while basing in New York City. Bringing the tradition of Louis Armstrong into the 21st Century, she writes compelling original tunes, plays ...

Trumpeter Arturo Sandoval's 2012 tribute to legendary jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You) is a big-band Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz tour de force. Showcasing Sandoval's long-storied titan bop trumpet chops, Dear Diz frames the ...

Hot House is the seventh recording by the duo of pianist Chick Corea and vibraphonist Gary Burton. This time out, Corea and Burton picked pieces by some of their favorite composers -- mostly from the jazz world, of course -- ...

The Ink Spots were the first modern black vocal group, and although chiefly known for their wonderful harmonies, which bridged the gap between 1940s pop styles and the street corner doo wop styles of the 1950s, they were also a ...

Stepping away a bit from his signature rhumba flamenco guitar style on The Blue Guitar Sessions, his eighth studio album, new age guitarist Jesse Cook broadens his canvas with jazzy ballads, soft blues, and smooth, atmospheric instrumental pop to make ...

Recording information: Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA (04/02/2012-04/04/2012). Photographers: Bob Wolfenson; Alex Calleros. Personnel: Larry Koonse (guitar); David Piltch (acoustic bass); Jay Bellerose (drums, percussion). Audio Mixer: Helik Hadar.

Music for Lovers Only was first released in 1952 as a 10" LP with only eight songs. In 1953 it was released as an expanded 12" with eight more tracks. The Collectors Choice's Music for Lovers Only/Music to Make You ...

Audio Mixer: Marc Antoine . Recording information: Estudio Monteprincipe, Madrid; Frogland Studio, Madrid; London; Los Angeles; New York; Paris.

Track Listing: Sentimental Journey; Don't Get Around Much Anymore; Route 66; Georgia On My Mind; Come Fly With Me; Theme From New York, New York; On A Clear Day; Caravan; Road To Ponta Pora, The; Chicago; Take The A Train; What A Wonderful World;

Recording information: Ben-Jamin' Studios, Murfreesboro, TN. Arranger: Ben Tankard. Personnel: Ben Tankard (vocals, keyboards). Audio Mixer: Ben Tankard.

Leaving behind the downtempo electronic approach of 2010's Earthglow, pianist David Benoit returns to a more traditional contemporary jazz vibe on 2012's Conversation. Once again working with producer Clark Germain, Benoit has put together a more organic, swinging sound this ...

As of this recording, three out of four members of Oregon have been playing together in the group for 42 years. Drummer and percussionist Mark Walker has been on board since 1996, making them among the longest-running small groups in ...

Originally tagged as a Bill Evans disciple by some writers early in his career, Fred Hersch has long since distinguished himself as a pianist with a distinctive sound of his own who constantly challenges himself as a performer, composer, and ...

When Wayman Tisdale died in 2009, the urban-influenced smooth jazz genre lost one of its most popular artists and vibrant personalities -- and the uniqueness of the melodic funk he brought to the electric bass, a rare lead instrument in ...