First Time Valentine

Released for the first time on this 1999 Challenge CD, this live set features the unusual duo of guitarist Jim Hall and valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, two-thirds of the 1957 Jimmy Giuffre Three. Although there are occasions when one of the musicians accompanies the other one, much of the time Hall and Brookmeyer function as equals, improvising together on a set of standards plus an ad-lib blues called "Sweet Basil." Their ability to improvise while thinking of the whole picture and their knack for spontaneously harmonizing really come in handy during this intriguing and frequently exciting outing. Among the selections reborn in the playing of Hall and Brookmeyer are John Lewis' "Skating in Central Park," "Body and Soul," "Darn That Dream," and "St. Thomas." A successful effort that should not have taken 20 years to release.

This collection compiles, for the first time ever on a single set, all existing studio recordings of Chet Baker singing from 1953 (his earliest vocal recordings) until 1962. The music on this CD puts Chet Baker on the scene not just as a brilliant trumpeter, but also as a talented singer. These songs were a revelation at the time and won Baker new fame and a new audience, which was less familiar with jazz than with pop music. The reasons are quite clear: Chet's voice is tender and beautiful, and at the same time his phrasing always swings and surprises. Among the contents of this set are the complete original albums Chet Baker Sings and Chet Baker Sings It Could Happen to You, plus all other existing studio vocal sides within that period.

Smile With Your Heart: The Best of Bill Evans on Resonance brings together standout tracks from the company’s four sets of hitherto unheard material by the lyrical keyboard master: Live at Art D’Lugoff’s Top of the Gate (2012); Some Other Time: The Lost Session from the Black Forest (2016); Another Time: The Hilversum Concert (2017); and Evans in England (2019). Evans in England was issued for the first time as limited edition two-LP set on Record Store Day 2019, and 3 tracks from the album appear on Smile With Your Heart.

18 Top Hits Aus Den Charts 1-6 is a massive, exceptionally comprehensive multi-volume retrospective box set compilation that captures the absolute zenith, neon-soaked energy, and kinetic club-driven brilliance of the European music charts in 1996, issued through the German licensing authority Gema. Spanning over seven hours of continuous high-fidelity playback across 115 seminal tracks, this archival collection documents a unique historical turning point where Eurodance, happy hardcore, teen pop, and ambient trance dominated commercial radio across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The expansive tracklist serves as a definitive time capsule, featuring global megahits and regional club classics seamlessly sequenced back-to-back. Listeners are treated to standard-bearing pop from the Backstreet Boys, Ace Of Base, and Robbie Williams, running alongside the peak era of Eurodance heavyweights like Masterboy, Culture Beat, E-Rotic, and Captain Jack. Crucially, the set catalogs the explosive rise of the late-90s electronic club scene, preserving foundational dream trance milestones like Robert Miles's atmospheric masterpieces Children and Fable, progressive rave anthems by Dune and Scooter, and classic house-inflected pop from Faithless. Meticulously mastered to deliver club-ready bass response, crisp synth transients, and clean, uncompressed vocal production, this massive anthology is an irreplaceable reference document for pop-culture historians, nostalgic Eurodance revivalists, and dance music preservationists alike.