Body And Soul Joe

As soul music moved into the early '70s, it became dominated by smoother sounds and polished productions, picking up its cues from Motown, Chicago soul, and uptown soul. By the beginning of the decade, soul was fracturing in a manner similar to pop/rock, as pop-soul, funk, vocal groups, string-laden Philly soul, and sexy Memphis soul became just a few of the many different subgenres to surface. Often, the productions on these records were much more polished than '60s productions, boasting sound effects, synthesizers, electric keyboards, echoes, horn sections, acoustic guitars, and strings.

Ever since Joe Jackson's debut album, Look Sharp, yielded his first single in "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" in July of 1979, which peaked at number 21 on Billboard (the album hit number 20), his career has seen him investigate a multitude of musical styles with clean-cut charm and poise. Jackson has dabbled in everything from reggae, disco, and soul to power pop, jazz, and even big band. Stepping Out covers 15 of his biggest singles, including his highest chart-topper, "Stepping Out," which hit number six on Billboard's Top 40, from the suave sounding Night and Day album. The downhearted appeal of "Breaking Us in Two" appears here as well, along with the salsa- flavored "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)," which reached number 15 and was the strongest track from 1984's Body and Soul album. Outside of his chart appearances, the rest of this hits collection holds up well. Jackson's voice is heard in wispy detail on "Fools in Love," while his humor and wit explode on "I'm the Man" from the album of the same name. The live release entitled Big World from 1986 is spoken for with both "Right and Wrong" and the candid allure of "Hometown."

Aptly titled, 'The Great Vocalists Of Jazz & Entertainment', culls 748 of the absolute finest recordings by top singers of the pre-rock era of the '30s, '40s & '50s.

One of the best rock musicians, and one of the most underestimated. Jackson can do any music style he wants, and do it good. Listen to the 3 versions of "Is she really going out with him" - there's a good demonstration to that...

Guitarist Chuck Wayne came to prominence in the 1940's & 50's. He was best known for his work with Woody Herman and George Shearing. He was also Tony Bennett's musical director from 1953-57. Joe Puma was a contemporary of Chuck and fellow guitarists Jimmy Rainey and Johnny Smith, winning the Metronome New Star award in 1957. The two guitarists teamed up in 1973 for some duet playing in the tradition of Barnes/Kress and Ellis/Pass and this resulting album is one of the best of the genre.
"Two of the very finest of seasoned veterans are presented on this album. The collective playing experience of Joe Puma and Chuck Wayne covers an awesome line-up of major jazz artists and singers (if the names of Charlie Parker, Artie Shaw, Tony Bennett and Peggy Lee don't make you stop and think, they you've come to the wrong record bin)". (Jim Hall)

This classic album pairs legendary jazz violinist Joe Venuti with the remarkable Dutch Swing College Band, a Dixieland revival band with a recording history that stretches from 1945 to the present day. Apart from this historic meeting with the original master of the jazz violin, the Dutch Swing College Band have shared the studio with American jazz icons Teddy Wilson, Sidney Bechet, Bud Freeman, Billy Butterfield and others. Recorded in 1971, the Venuti sessions yielded many fine performances including wonderful renditions of the Eddie Lang/Joe Venuti penned instrumentals, "Wild Dog," and "Wild Cat".