Ernesto Lecuona

When Tropical Breeze was recorded in New Orleans in 1980, Cassandra Wilson had yet to record as a solo artist or become a major name in jazz. But those who were hip to the singer back then knew that she had a lot of potential, and that included the other members of the Brazilian-oriented jazz-pop band Jasmine. In a perfect world, Wilson's brief stint as Jasmine's lead singer would have brought her commercial success. But Jasmine was obscure, and it wasn't until the '90s that Wilson finally received the type of attention that she deserved. It's safe to say that many of the singer's fans have never heard of Jasmine or Tropical Breeze, which was originally released on LP by Inner City and finally made its debut on CD when Japan's P-Vine label reissued it in 2002. But the album's obscurity doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

Decca’s first FFRR concerto recording available for the first time: Eileen Joyce / Tchaikovsky 2nd Piano Concerto – never released on 78rpm and long thought lost, the test pressings were recently found at the International Piano Archives in Maryland.

Some big-band albums are heated and brassy, others cool and understated, while a precious few simply cast a mesmerizing spell. "Live at Jazzfestival Bern," recorded in May 2003 by the unerring Swiss Jazz Orchestra, drops anchor squarely in the last of those realms, thanks in part to the ensemble's perceptive choice of material and even more so to the conclusive brilliance of guest artists Paquito D'Rivera, Claudio Roditi and Michael Zisman…