Ross Jeffries Beyond Confidence

Lambert, Hendricks and Ross made their debut on Columbia in 1959, and this CD contains not only all of the music from their first CBS album, but five titles from two later records. This set has many memorable classics from the great singers Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks (the top vocalese lyricist) and Annie Ross. Highlights include the upbeat "Charleston Alley," a remake of Ross' "Twisted," the heated "Cloudburst," Hendricks' humorous "Gimme That Wine," "Summertime" (a recreation of Miles Davis' version with Gil Evans), and "Come on Home." Although Lambert, Hendricks and Ross only lasted a few years, their influence on other vocal groups was enormous. This set is a perfect place for collectors to begin to explore their vocal magic.

This 2-fer of Scott Ross' Goldberg Variations, plus selections from Frescobaldi's 1616 &1627 publications could hardly be better. The clarity of the lines in the Goldbergs alone is worth the price. The Frescobaldi selections are fresh and pleasing. As always, Mr. Ross plays in a lively, incisive, yet unaffected manner.

Although most of her best performances came in tandem with Jon Hendricks and Dave Lambert, Annie Ross recorded a lot of quality material on her own, and most of it is right here. A collection of her (mostly) solo material from the '50s, Four Classic Albums finds Ross close to the height of her vocal powers, with excellent interpretive skills and a quickly shifting tone (sometimes caressing, other times catty). The two highlights of these classic albums are Gypsy, her run-through of the classic musical, and Sings a Song with Mulligan!, her duet album with Gerry Mulligan that ranks as one of the finest jazz vocalist/instrumentalist pairings ever (and thereby, one of the best vocal albums of all time). “I Feel Pretty” is impossibly spry and bouncy, with both Ross and Mulligan showing off their musical dexterity, playing off each other's notes with kittenish glee…

Impressive debut album from an incredible young artist who has been omnipresent on acclaimed recent albums by Makaya McCraven (Universal Beings), Walter Smith III (In Common), Marquis Hill (Modern Flows, Vol. 2), and James Francies (Flight). Milt Jackson was a formative influence, Bobby Hutcherson passed him some sage advice, and Stefon Harris was his mentor & teacher. Now Joel carries the Blue Note vibraphone legacy into the future on an album that finds him exploring the formative stuff that made him the man he is, first and foremost, family. The centerpiece and title track is dedicated to his mother, while other compositions pay homage to Ross’ twin brother, father, and niece.