Ballad of Narayama Narayama Bushikô (1958)

New Bottle Old Wine is an album by jazz composer, arranger, conductor and pianist Gil Evans recorded in 1958 by Evans with an orchestra.

The hugely popular live American television plays of the 1950s have become the stuff of legend. Combining elements of theater, radio, and filmmaking, they were produced at a moment when TV technology was growing more mobile and art was being made accessible to a newly suburban postwar demographic. These astonishingly choreographed, brilliantly acted, and socially progressive “teleplays” constituted an artistic high for the medium, bringing Broadway-quality drama to all of America. The award-winning programs included in this box set – originally curated for PBS in the early 1980s as the series The Golden Age of Television, featuring recollections from key cast and crew members – were conceived by such up-and-comers as Rod Serling and John Frankenheimer and star the likes of Paul Newman, Mickey Rooney, Rod Steiger, Julie Harris, and Piper Laurie.

"Merry Christmas" is the first Christmas album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis and was released by Columbia Records on October 6, 1958. The selections are a mix of traditional Christmas carols ("Silent Night", "O Holy Night", "The First Noel") and holiday hits ("The Christmas Song", "White Christmas", "Silver Bells"). The album debuted on Billboard magazine's list of the 25 Best-Selling Pop LPs in the US in its December 15, 1958, issue and got as high as #3 during its initial four-week run. It made additional appearances there each holiday season from 1959 to 1962 and on the magazine's Christmas Albums and Pop Catalog Albums charts in subsequent years. It received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 copies in the US in December 1960 and in 2013 ranked as one of the top selling Christmas albums of all time with five million copies sold.

Acoustic Sounds and Contemporary Records present this new reissue of iconic jazz trumpet player Art Farmer’s 1958 Contemporary Records debut, “Portrait of Art Farmer”. Featuring Hank Jones (piano), Addison Farmer (bass) and Roy Haynes (drums) with this edition features remastered audio from the original tapes.

With the support of the American State Department, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, including new members Joe Morello and Eugene Wright, began a major tour of Europe early in 1958. Their first concert in the Netherlands was held on 26 February in the legendary Concertgebouw Hall in Amsterdam, usually reserved for performances of classical music. Since 1951 and the collaboration between Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond, the band had gained a stunning reputation. In 1954, Dave Brubeck was featured on the cover of Time magazine. Rumor has it that Duke Ellington knocked on Brubeck’s hotel door to congratulate him. Brubeck is said to have responded, “It should have been you.” He dedicated one of his most famous pieces, “The Duke”, included on this album, to his fellow pianist.

The Very Thought of You is a 1958 album by Nat King Cole, arranged by Gordon Jenkins. The album peaked at #17 on Billboard Magazine's Top LP chart.

Decca Records France presents this wonderful high-resolution digital transfer of Michel Legrand's 1958 album, Legrand Jazz. French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist Michel Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many songs.