Three Rooms in Manhattan (1965)

Ramsey Lewis staked his claim to fame with The In Crowd, an instrumental version of Dobie Gray's Top 40 hit. He also was one of the first soul jazz icons of the mid-'60s, based on the strength of the sales of this recording, done over three days during a club date at the Bohemian Caverns in Washington, D.C. What is not readily acknowledged over the years is that bassist Eldee Young is really the star of the show. He's the one who gets the crowd revved up with his vocalizing in tandem with the notes he is playing. It's on his Ray Charles-like take on "Tennessee Waltz" and a similar treatment of Gale Garnett's minor pop hit "You Been Talkin' 'Bout Me Baby" that gets the patrons off. Of course the quintessential hip shakin' introductory title track gets the groove in motion, but it's Young that lights the fuse…

By the time of its release, the Lovin' Spoonful's debut album was already a significant record because of the inclusion of its title track, John Sebastian's timeless anthem to love and music, which had been one of the major hits of the summer of 1965…

Ella Fitzgerald and the Tommy Flanagan Trio (the pianist is joined by bassist Keter Betts and drummer Gus Johnson) are in top form during this engaging 1965 concert in Hamburg, Germany. She's at her best singing classic material such as the uptempo "That Old Black Magic" and a strutting take of "And the Angels Sing" (not a song typically associated with Fitzgerald). She is also very effective on ballads such as "Body and Soul," "Here's That Rainy Day," and "Angel Eyes." Even though liner note writer implies that the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" is a great jazz vehicle, it is actually a resounding dud here, as was often the case when the singer ventured into covering rock hits of the '60s and '70s. But an occasional misfire should not dissuade anyone from acquiring this LP, as Ella Fitzgerald is in great voice throughout the performance, and Tommy Flanagan's accompaniment is peerless.

The Lovin’ Spoonful were a wonderfully American response to the British Invasion bands of the mid-'60s, mixing folk, blues, and jug band looseness and attitude with a warm and sunny pop sense to produce several radio staples like “Do You Believe in Magic,” “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?,” “Younger Girl,” “Daydream,” “Didn’t Want to Have to Do It,” and “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice,” all of which are contained in this two-disc set, which combines the Spoonful’s 1965 album Do You Believe in Magic with 1966’s Daydream and adds several bonus tracks of alternative takes, demos, and instrumental backing tracks. The end result is a great way to meet this fun, warm, and delightful American band.