After her big band beginnings, resolutely anchored in traditional forms of jazz, followed by increasingly notable incursions towards soul, rhythm, blues and pop that describe an agile technique and holistic sense of entertainment, the singer Robin McKelle seems, in recent years, to have naturally returned to her first love. As proof, this magnificent new album is designed, as its name suggests, as a personal and impressionistic evocation of the inimitable vocal art of the brilliant Ella Fitzgerald. Unfussy and faithful to the text and the great standards immortalised by this icon of swing jazz, Robin McKelle showcases a mature mixture of humility and know-how as she deploys all the facets of her outstanding talent: a clear and irresistibly fresh timbre, supple and beautifully articulated phrasing gliding as close as possible to the melodic line with varying intensity, placement and rhythm of great musicality, and a constant emotional commitment offering personal interpretations of the song lyrics. Magnificently accompanied by a sumptuous trio, composed of the pianist Kenny Barron, double bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Kenny Washington, the record is imperial throughout, both in terms of elegance and expressiveness. Robin McKelle has not only put her name to her most touching and personal album to date but has put herself among the greatest real jazz singers of the present day. © Stéphane Ollivier/Qobuz 

John Coltrane's matchup with singer Johnny Hartman, although quite unexpected, works extremely well. Hartman was in prime form on the six ballads, and his versions of "Lush Life" and "My One and Only Love" have never been topped. Coltrane's playing throughout the session is beautiful, sympathetic, and still exploratory; he sticks exclusively to tenor on the date. At only half an hour, one wishes there were twice as much music, but what is here is classic, essential for all jazz collections. © Scott Yanow /TiVo

Lush Life (1958) is among John Coltrane's best endeavors on the Prestige label. One reason can easily be attributed to the interesting personnel and the subsequent lack of a keyboard player for the August 16, 1957 session that yielded the majority of the material. Coltrane (tenor sax) had to essentially lead the compact trio of himself, Earl May (bass), and Art Taylor (drums). The intimate setting is perfect for ballads such as the opener "Like Someone in Love." Coltrane doesn't have to supplement the frequent redundancy inherent in pianists, so he has plenty of room to express himself through simple and ornate passages. Unifying the slippery syncopation and slightly Eastern feel of "I Love You" is the tenor's prevalent capacity for flawless, if not downright inspired on-the-spot "head" arrangements that emerge singular and clear, never sounding preconceived. Even at an accelerated pace, the rhythm section ably prods the backbeat without interfering. A careful comparison will reveal that "Trane's Slo Blues" is actually a fairly evident derivation (or possibly a different take) of "Slowtrane." But don't let the title fool you as the mid-tempo blues is undergirded by a lightheartedness. May provides a platform for Coltrane's even keeled runs before the tenor drops out, allowing both May and then Taylor a chance to shine. The fun cat-and-mouse-like antics continue as Taylor can be heard encouraging the tenor player to raise the stakes and the tempo -- which he does to great effect.The practically quarter-hour reading of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" is not only the focal point of this album, it is rightfully considered as one of Coltrane's unqualified masterworks. The performance hails from January 10, 1958 as Coltrane sits in with Red Garland (piano), Donald Byrd (trumpet), Paul Chambers (bass), and Louis Hayes (drums). Coltrane handles the tune's delicate complexities with infinite style and finesse. Garland similarly sparkles at the 88s, while Byrd's solo offers a bit of a tonal alternative. It should be noted that the reading here does not include a vocal from Johnny Hartman. That version can be found on the ever imaginatively monikered John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman (1963).© Lindsay Planer /TiVo

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett sang before 2014's Cheek to Cheek -- she popped up on his 2011 collection Duets II -- so this standards album isn't exactly out of the blue. Furthermore, the two aren't such an odd pair. Bennett naturally has a long track record not just in regards to the Great American Songbook, but in presenting it to modern audiences, freshening it up for an MTV Unplugged in 1994 and cutting a full album with k.d. lang in 2002, while Gaga is grounded in music theater and cabaret, a background that is perhaps too apparent on Cheek to Cheek even when it serves her well. She has the chops to sing these warhorses but she sometimes seems unsure of her skills, relying on sheer power when she'd be better off easing into a lyric. Gaga also is occasionally betrayed by her taste for camp -- it's fetching when she's re-creating the splendor of 1976 within the album art but when she begins throwing out flirty asides on "Goody Goody" ("I'm no goodie, I'm a baddie"), she slips on the thin ice she's skating upon. Comparatively, Bennett takes things perhaps a shade too casually, relying on charm as much as skill. This isn't entirely a bad thing. His ease provides a welcome tonic to Gaga's eager glee club theatrics and there are some sparks that arise from this contrast. Also, Cheek to Cheek benefits from sharp arrangements and production that draw upon anything from boisterous, full-bore big bands to swinging, intimate cabaret. Such variety helps spice up a pretty predictable set of songs -- it's a familiar parade of Porter, Berlin, Ellington, Kern, with Cy Coleman & Carolyn Leigh's "Firefly" being the least-familiar tune (although Bennett has recorded it numerous times since the late '50s) -- but Cheek to Cheek is a record where the music and even the songs take a backseat to the personalities. Gaga and Bennett intended to put on a razzle-dazzle show here and that's exactly what they did. Whether you like it or not depends entirely on how much you dig the way they swing.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

In April 1957, John Coltrane signed a two-year contract with Prestige Records. The saxophone player recorded many sessions in the studio, both formal and informal, and often stood in as a sideman. Coltrane then released his first records as a band leader under Prestige and the label gave him a green light to record the mythical Blue Train with Blue Note. Coltrane ’58 – The Prestige Recordings box set gathers together, in chronological order, thirty-seven recordings made by Coltrane in 1958 with Kenny Burrell on guitar; Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard and Wilbur Harden on trumpet; Tommy Flanagan and Red Garland on piano; Paul Chambers on double bass; and Jimmy Cobb, Louis Hayes and Art Taylor on drums. At that time, Coltrane was hardly a novice. He was already past 30 and was fighting a drug addiction (the new contract encouraging him to double down on his efforts to quit his bad habits). Coltrane’s style was also going through heavy changes. While not quite reaching the formal revolution of the Atlantic or Impulse! recordings, Trane is nevertheless already deploying his distinct sound, recognizable from miles away, with a controlled and accessible virtuosity. Trane played with a frenetic energy and the music sounds like no other.In this 1958 session recorded in Rudy Van Gelder’s legendary studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, Trane fought his legendary shyness. He created new harmonic progressions while improving his solos. The boxed set features definite versions of Lush Life, Lover Come Back to Me, Stardust, Good Bait and Little Melonae, as well as the first recordings of Nakatani Serenade, The Believer, Black Pearls and Theme for Ernie. Russian Lullaby, Sweet Sapphire Blues and I Want to Talk About You are tenor sax masterpieces. An absolute essential, the recordings have been remastered from their original analogical tapes. John Coltrane’s love story with Prestige ended in April 1959, whereupon he was then ready to embark on a new revolution, the one that would lead him to Atlantic Records. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Phineas Newborn's Contemporary debut (he would record six albums over a 15-year period for the label) was made just before physical problems began to interrupt his career. This CD reissue has two trio sessions, and finds Newborn joined by either bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones or bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes. Actually, the accompaniment is not that significant, for the virtuosic Newborn is essentially the whole show anyway. He performs five jazz standards and three obscurities by jazz composers on this superb recital; highlights include "Cheryl," "Manteca," "Daahoud," and "Oleo."© Scott Yanow /TiVo

John Coltrane's matchup with singer Johnny Hartman, although quite unexpected, works extremely well. Hartman was in prime form on the six ballads, and his versions of "Lush Life" and "My One and Only Love" have never been topped. Coltrane's playing throughout the session is beautiful, sympathetic, and still exploratory; he sticks exclusively to tenor on the date. At only half an hour, one wishes there were twice as much music, but what is here is classic, essential for all jazz collections. © Scott Yanow /TiVo

A major change of direction for Natalie Cole, Unforgettable found the singer abandoning the type of R&B/pop she'd been recording since 1975 in favor of jazz-influenced pre-rock pop along the lines of Nat King Cole's music. It was a surprising risk that paid off handsomely -- both commercially and artistically. Naysayers who thought that so radical a change would be commercial suicide were proven wrong when the outstanding Unforgettable sold a shocking five million units. Quite clearly, this was an album Cole was dying to make. Paying tribute to her late father on "Mona Lisa," "Nature Boy," "Route 66," and other gems that had been major hits for him in the 1940s and early '50s, the 41-year-old Cole sounds more inspired than she had in well over a decade. On the title song, overdubbing was used to make it sound as though she were singing a duet with her father -- dishonest perhaps, but certainly enjoyable. Thankfully, standards and pre-rock pop turned out to be a primary direction for Cole, who was a baby when the title song became a hit for her father in 1951.© Alex Henderson /TiVo

Although he was never inactive, the 1980s found Tito Puente in a bit of a renaissance. His exciting Afro-Cuban jazz band had found a home on the Concord Picante label, and his music was increasing in popularity again. This particular CD has a stronger than usual repertoire, including "Take Five," "Lush Life" (done as Latin jazz), "Pick Yourself Up" and "Lullaby of Birdland"; the latter song has its composer George Shearing guesting on piano. Puente wrote half of the arrangements, contributed some excellent playing on timbales and vibes, and is heard heading a spirited three-horn, three-percussion octet. Very enjoyable music. © Scott Yanow /TiVo

Download not available
Loved by fans but underrated or derided as a showman rather than an innovator by purists, the late Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson, who won seven Grammy Awards and released over 200 albums in his lifetime, is also often thought of as one of the great keyboard accompanists from his time backing Ella Fitzgerald. An apostle of a crowd-pleasing mainstream aesthetic, Peterson could also be an engaging straight-ahead jazz player especially when pushed, which on this unreleased "lost" recording from a 1987 European tour, is done by virtuoso electric guitarist Joe Pass. Recorded at Helsinki's Kulttuuritalo by Heikki Hölttä and Pentti Männikkö of the Finnish Broadcasting Company in clear, beautifully balanced sound, the set opens with a trio of Peterson compositions, one of which, "Love Ballade," is a long, undeniably beautiful example of Peterson the writer and player at his sweetest and soulful best. Despite the title, the three-part "A Salute to Bach," is a anything but a dry attempt to replicate the classical keyboard master although there are moments during its 20-minute run time—particularly in the Andante section—where Peterson ups the tempos and plays passages that vaguely imitate Bach's style. Pass is especially wonderful in this piece, staying alongside the pianist as the pace increases, adding exclamations and competing heat to the racing fires. Supported by Peterson's longtime rhythm section of English drummer Martin Drew and fellow Canadian bassist Dave Young, all the musicians settle into a familiar groove in the concert's all standards second half where Peterson favorite, Benny Goodman's "Soft Winds," gets a swinging reading with the pianist's fleet digits adding his trademark showy runs. Listeners can decide if Peterson's lively take on Bill Evans' "Waltz for Debby," which contains a brief quote from "Pop Goes the Weasel," is either evidence that Peterson had no interest in being a serious jazz player as he frolics and improvises around the familiar melody, or the enjoyable transformation of an overly serious jazz number into an accessible showpiece. That's followed by a pair of sure-to-please showstoppers with Pass weaving his gentle way through "When You Wish Upon a Star," while the entire band joins for a rousing medley of Ellington tunes that opens with "Take the A Train." Welcoming and apparent, Peterson was the master of quartet jazz made for the masses. © Robert Baird/Qobuz

This is Jacintha's third album for Groove Note, and her first with strings. Very popular in her native Singapore, she's beginning to get a worldwide reputation, and this release demonstrates why: Her voice is lovely, with clear diction and expressive, naturalistic phrasing. She draws the listener into a warm intimacy from the first track, "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams," a rarely covered and beautiful song with the perfect "rainy night in Paris" ambience supplied by Frank Marocco on accordion. Other highlights include a bluesy but refreshingly non-wailing "Black Coffee," with a fine, understated solo by Bill Cunliffe on piano; he's also good on the silky bossa "Manha de Carneval," where Anthony Wilson's melodic plucking contrasts nicely with the smoothness of the strings. Another unusual but happy choice, "When We Were Young," showcases the superb flügelhorn of Dmitri Matheny, which enhances four other tracks as well. Eight of the ten selections are ballads and, since Jacintha delivers her message straight and serene, the overall feel is quiet, sultry, and relaxing. After slooow readings of "The Shadow of Your Smile," "Lush Life," and "September Song," Joe LaBarbera's brushes and drum accents on "Harlem Nocturne" provide a welcome texture and pulse. The surprise of the CD is the startlingly original, soaring introduction to the vastly overplayed "Summertime," where Cunliffe's string arrangement evokes both Gershwin and modern French composers. This is excellent late-night listening; the local male vote was "mesmerizing." © Judith Schlesinger /TiVo

Guitar and bass duos are a rewarding subgenre of jazz—pairings like Jim Hall/Ron Carter or Ralph Towner/Gary Peacock come to mind—that’s recently been dominated by the extrasensory connection between the perennially underrated Thomas Morgan and the do-it-all guitarist Bill Frisell. Despite a title derived from the Thelonious Monk-penned standard that’s covered here, jazz is not an accurate description of Morgan and Frisell's increasingly intrepid shared vision. The closest label would be a highly idiosyncratic version of Americana. There's a sinuous take on the iconic "Red River Valley" and a straighter reading of Monk but also dashes of Billy Strayhorn ("Lush Life") and Frank Sinatra ("In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning"), resulting in a mysterious, all-encompassing flavor. As proof of their wide-ranging tastes and ability to make any music their own, a fearless, unlikely mashup of "Wildwood Flower" (made famous by the Carter Family) and the Doc Pomus classic "Save The Last Dance for Me," somehow brings out the essence of both tunes. While Frisell’s signature meandering, idea-heavy, reverbed style provides the bones throughout the nine tracks, it’s Morgan who fills out the flesh. Recorded live in the basement of New York City's iconic Village Vanguard, Epistrophy highlights the close-miked richness of both Frisell's resonant guitar tones and Morgan's soft-edged bass contours. Except for the inevitable coughs that occur during the performances and modest applause between tunes, crowd noise here is largely absent, leaving the guitar and bass to naturally entwine in a wonderfully perceptive and creative dance. © Robert Baird / Qobuz

Noa, an iconic Israeli singer of Yemeni heritage, opens up the "American Songbook", digs out some great jazz standards and then pastes in a few pages of her own. We get This Masquerade by Leon Russell, and also some personal creations in a jazzy vein (Eyes of Rain, Waltz for Neta). This project was born in the midst of the global lockdown, which kept people isolated, and inspired many to return to their fundamental values. The singer and her musical partner of 30 years, guitarist and arranger Gil Dor, found themselves working together on a collection of songs which had made profound impressions on them. The album starts with an intimate performance of the legendary My Funny Valentine by Rodgers and Hart. These two legendary songwriters are soon joined by Cole Porter (Anything Goes and Every Time We Say Goodbye, an obvious choice to close out the album) as well as the composers Jimmy Van Heusen (But Beautiful, Darn That Dream) and Billy Strayhorn (Lush Life). These masterpieces from the 30s and 40s sit alongside Something Coming which Leonard Bernstein wrote for West Side Story in the early 60s; and a composition by Pat Metheny named Calling Home, with added lyrics by Noa. Gil Dor also arranges a musical setting of some verses by the Israeli poet Leah Goldberg. Goldberg is a source of inspiration for the duo on Oh Lord, on which the singer gets an opportunity to do some scatting. The Afterallogy project enjoys judicious, no-frills production, and it is intended to be adapted by bands of varying size. The pair plan to follow it up with a release which draws more heavily on rock'n'roll. © Benjamin MiNiMuM/Qobuz

Among the many facets of Archie Shepp's distinguished career, it is notable that since his solo debut in 1964, he has been gigging and recording at a near-constant pace. For an 83-year-old saxophone player specializing in provocative and boundary-challenging improvisation, this is impressive enough, but that Shepp's creative, intellectual, and political fire has in 50-plus years remained undimmed, well, that is remarkable indeed. Throughout those years, Shepp has always been an enthusiastic collaborator, working extensively with Cecil Taylor and Don Cherry, as well as more occasional meetings with the likes of Mal Waldron, Max Roach, and Horace Parlan, and cross-genre explorations with Frank Zappa, Material, and others. He is a player whose confidence in his style and musical language allows him to not only share a spotlight, but also to seek out co-conspirators to broaden his sonic palette. In the 21st century, Shepp's recording pace has not slowed, but his interest in collaborations seems to have accelerated; more than half of his releases over the last two decades have seen him partnered up. This album, the latest such release, finds him working with Jason Moran, whose modernist, New York-centric take on post-bop has made him one of the most critically acclaimed jazz pianists of the last 20 years. Moran's musical vocabulary is as broad and deep as Shepp's, and the two also clearly share an intellectual and ideological affinity when it comes to creative and cultural work. So it is both somewhat surprising and completely on-brand that on their debut duet album, the two aim straight for the songbook, taking on a clutch of standards that have often been handled competently, if not interestingly, in lesser hands. With these two, pieces like "Lush Life" easily unshackle themselves from decades of overplay and sound reinvigorated. The easy, restrained interplay between the enormous tone of Shepp's saxophone and Moran's melodic and exploratory piano finds the two charting their own courses through these pieces, and when Shepp starts singing on "Go Down Moses" and "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child," an entirely new dimension is added. It would have been quite easy for Shepp and Moran to romp through well-trod pieces like "Round Midnight" with gleeful abandon, but instead, they take a more focused and politically interrogatory approach to the material, resulting in an intelligent, emotional, evocative,and, yes, another remarkable addition to Shepp's voluminous discography. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

A major pop star in Scandinavia, Lisa Ekdahl was 24 when she attempted to sing straight-ahead jazz on the consistently weak When Did You Leave Heaven, which was her first release in the U.S. and her first all-English recording. The Swedish singer's thin, girlish, mousy voice might work on bubblegum pop, but it's hardly appropriate for standards like "Cry Me a River" and "I'm a Fool to Want You." Ekdahl tries to emulate Billie Holiday, although the disc ends up sounding more like Paula Abdul with a Scandinavian accent making an ill-advised attempt at acoustic jazz. Especially embarrassing is her version of "Lush Life" -- this is a song that even 35-year-old singers shy away from because they don't feel they've done enough living, and Ekdahl gives no indication that she has the type of depth needed to sing this Billy Strayhorn classic convincingly. As many gifted jazz singers as Sweden had in the late 1990s (including Jeanette Lindström and Lina Nyberg), it's most regrettable that RCA Victor chose to record someone who should have stuck to commercial pop.© Alex Henderson /TiVo