Jazz Cocktails

Jazz pianist Beegie Adair has given Christmas & Cocktails the subtitle of An Intoxicating Collection of Jazz for Holiday Entertaining. That should get you thinking rosemary-infused Manhattans with Martha Stewart at the Pan Pacific rather than rye and no-name ginger ale in a dirty Airstream with Cousin Eddie from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Yes, this one is classy, if safe and predictable. Adair’s smoky versions of “Santa Baby” and “Sleigh Ride” transport you to the kind of high-end hotel lounges where the Christmas lights are all sparkling white, the piano player wears a freshly pressed tux, and the in-house decorator has dropped a couple of grand on poinsettias. Don’t let any of that stop you, however, from listening to Christmas & Cocktails while cleaning out the mobile-home shitter.

Cocktails, Heartaches And Cigars was released in 2007 by Canadian pianist/guitarist Steve Dooks. This is a self-released project.

Legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter has since 2002 led a drum-less trio with the late pianist Mulgrew Miller and guitarist Russell Malone, sometimes referred to as the Golden Striker Trio based on the title of their debut album. Miller left the band in 2012 and was replaced by Donald Vega, a younger and very talented pianist who used to be based in Los Angeles. Cocktails at the Cotton Club is the new trio's first CD, recorded live in concert at The Cotton Club in Tokyo, Japan. Due to the instrumental mix and stylistic choice, the group has an atmosphere of high quality chamber music. The dynamic range is somewhat limited and there's nothing flashy or bombastic about their music, but that is on purpose and that is not the point. The point is in the art of improvisation and interplay. The real excitement starts after the themes are stated, and attentive listeners will be rewarded by the wealth of ideas expressed and the beauty of the three masters' improvisation. Highlights include the stunning interplay between Vega and Carter on "My Funny Valentine" and inspired solo by Carter on "Samba De Orfeu". Recommended!

This performance recording captures the genuine excitement and swing when top quality musicians get together in the creation of jazz music. Baritone saxophonist Joe Temperley and tenor saxophonist Harry Allen blend together into a highly distinctive tonal mix. Their irresistible desire to play music with swing turns whatever they play into explosively dynamic music. The recording took place at Sunnie Sutton's Rocky Mountain Jazz Party in October 2006 and the tracks include Oscar Pettiford's classic line Blues In The Closet, jazz standards In A Mellotone and Jumpin' At The Woodside, as well as popular songs like Cocktails For Two, Sweet & Lovely, I've Got A World On A String, Polka Dots & Moonbeams and Everything Happens To Me.

The most beautiful jazz songs by Andy Williams, Alexis Ffrench, Eartha Kitt and many more on one compilation!

Discover the fascinating history of Black mixology and its enduring influence on American cocktail culture through 70 rediscovered, modernized, or celebrated recipes, by the James Beard Award–winning author of Jubilee.

Sun Ra and the Arkestra played a week of eleven concerts at the Detroit Jazz Center. The shows were organized and soundboard recorded by Rick Steiger (a collaborator of John Sinclair). On New Year's Eve the Arkestra performed nearly a hundred Sun Ra compositions in three different sets. Remastered from the original cassette soundboard recordings by Christopher Eddy. Limited edition of 500 copies, originally a 28 cd-r set from 2007 in an edition of 400.

Mel Tormé was a jazz-oriented pop singer who worked at his craft steadily from the '40s to the '90s, primarily in nightclubs and concert halls.