A Unique Collection of Cool Covers

An acclaimed singer/songwriter whose literate work flirted with everything from acoustic folk to rockabilly to straight-ahead country, John Prine was born October 10, 1946, in Maywood, IL. Raised by parents firmly rooted in their rural Kentucky background, at age 14 Prine began learning to play the guitar from his older brother while taking inspiration from his grandfather, who had played with Merle Travis. After a two-year tenure in the U.S. Army, Prine became a fixture on the Chicago folk music scene in the late '60s, befriending another young performer named Steve Goodman…

For a talent like Amy Winehouse, it's safe to say that a regular old "best-of" compilation doesn't feel like a proper encapsulation of a brilliant career that was cut tragically short in 2011. With a voice that contained so much passion, pain, and soul, the best way to experience her work is to just sit back and take it all in. Featuring her 2003 debut, Frank, as well as her R&B-charged 2006 follow-up Back to Black and the 2011 B-sides compilation Lioness: Hidden Treasures, The Album Collection provides the opportunity to do just that, packaging the singer's studio work into a neat little box set that gives you everything you need to take a journey through her discography.

While not the first male or female jazz harp player (Casper Reardon of Jack Teagarden's bands, Adele Girard performing with her husband Joe Marsala, or Corky Hale set precedents), Dorothy Ashby was the very best and most swinging performer on the multi-stringed instrument associated with the gates of heaven. Here on Earth, Ashby adeptly plucked and strummed the harp like nobody else, as evidenced on a single reissue containing her two best LPs for the Prestige and Prestige/New Jazz labels from 1958 - Hip Harp and In a Minor Groove. Alongside her prior efforts for the Savoy label, they collectively represent a small but substantive discography for the Detroit native in small group settings. With the exceptional flute sounds produced by Frank Wess, the combo plays music that is oriented via a unique sonic palate, further enhanced by the principals in the standards and originals they have chosen…

This 20-song compilation documents the early development of tenor Stan Getz from a Lester Young disciple into a unique and compelling voice. The set kicks off with three 1945 recordings from Kai Winding's sextet, when Getz, a mere 18 years old, still seemed to be under Young's spell. The four cuts from July 1946 mark Getz's first session as a leader; on one, he brought in bebop heavies Hank Jones, Curley Russell, and Max Roach. It's clear from his choice of sidemen and the increased fire in his playing that Getz was falling under the influence of Charlie Parker. The collection wends through three cuts featuring Getz with the Woody Herman Orchestra - two uptempos and an exquisite ballad, "Early Autumn," which offers supremely delicate solos from both Herman (on Johnny Hodges-inspired alto) and Getz…