The long-awaited return of jazz tenor sax titan Charles Lloyd with his exciting new group in one of the best CDs of his career and of 2007. From the beautiful ballad "Rabo De Nube" (Tail Cloud) to the crosswinds of "Prometheus", Jason Moran provides Lloyd with support unseen since Keith Jarrett. Reuben Rogers' stalwart bass and a fiery Eric Harland on drums round out the group. Live!

In his final recorded performance, a very ill jazz titan comes up HUGE with Metheny, Hancock, DeJohnette, Patatucci, and Mehldau as sidemen. The lovely, touching ballad "When Can I Kiss You Again?" is both a question from and a tribute to Michael's heartbroken son. DownBeat Hall of Famer MIchael Brecker will be greatly missed.

Stan Getz as soloist AND producer with the great Jimmy Rowles on piano playing Rowles' extraordinarily beautiful ballad "The Peacocks" which has an unusual bridge that, among many attempts by other musicians and singers, only Getz every really 'solved' the bridge, in my humble opinion. Bill Evans came close, but Getz 'put the whammy' on this song.

Classical piano virtuoso Katia LaBeque in sensational duets with jazz masters: Hancock, Corea, Zawinul, DeFrancesco, etc. Bill Evans' song "Turn Out The Stars" is a remarkable, blazing jazz ballad duet with Chick Corea. She can play!! And remember, Miles Davis composed and played "Katia" for her and John Mclaughlin dedicaded the entire "Belo Horizonte" CD to her, where she appeared on keyboards.

Diva Alert!! Grammy-winning Dianne Reeves sings a marvelous version of the Nancy Wilson classic "Over the Weekend". Hard to imagine that someone could conjure up a version equal to Ms Wilson's, but here it is, with Dianne's cousin, jazz pianist George Duke, as musical Svengali. An uplifting experience.

Masterful jazz pianist Don Friedman delivers a BIG performance. Friedman, ably assisted by the redoubtable Chuck Israels and the remarkable Joe Hunt on drums virtually 'completes the circle' here by regrouping with his original trio members of 4 decades ago, even conjuring up "A Day in the City Revisited" to end this outstanding, swinging recording.

Tenor sax colossus Sonny Rollins, the master of the jazz waltz, from the soundtrack of movie "Alfie", which he composed, in a rare orchestral appearance, under Oliver Nelson's baton and arrangement: a stunning thematic performance of the ballad "On Impulse". A great jazz CD with Kenny Burrell on guitar.

Trumpet legend Dizzy Gillespie with his 1940's big band in a stunningly beautiful ballad written by Walter "Gil" Fuller called "Dizzier and Dizzier": 60 years downstream, it holds up very well as one of Dizzy's best ballad performances EVER! The band is fabulous.

Clare Fischer's big band on an outstanding chart written by his brother Stewart Fischer called "Calamus" with baritone saxophonist Bill Perkins in a memorable solo on this ballad performance. "Miles Behind" is another great ballad played over a driving, shifting latin tempo and 4/4 tempo. Warne Marsh's solo is too much!! A great big band CD !!!

Basically, this is trumpet legend Art Farmer with pianist Steve Kuhn's trio (with Steve Swallow on bass and Pete LaRoca on drums) on a wonderful rendition of Dizzy's ballad "I Waited For You". The quartet's interaction and individual solos by Farmer on flugel and Kuhn (in particular) are outstanding and heartfelt. Dizzy must have been proud!

West coast drum-meister Shelly Manne in a great, under-appreciated CD called "2-3-4". The gem here is Billy Strayhorn's "Take The A Train" performed as a ballad with a 4/4 midsection. Incredible performance that includes Manne's sparkling drums, an effusive Hank Jones on piano, a brilliant Coleman Hawkins on tenor sax, and George Duvivier on bass.

She is the jazz singing 'gold standard', Ella Fitzgerald, live in Berlin with the Paul Smith Quartet, giving a fabulous version of "The Man I Love" to a loud ovation. The out-of-tempo bridge is breathtaking and Ms Fitzgerald reveals new nuances of this classic song. Lovely!!

Pick any song you want because this CD by the legendary jazz piano virtuoso Bill Evans in his first post-Scott Lafaro trio is pure ballad excellence. But "If You Could See Me Now" and "Re: Person I Knew" are exceptional. LaFaro's replacement Chuck Israels is on bass and Paul Motian is on drums. Producer Orrin Keepnews cranked up another jazz winner.

The ballad "Save Your Love For Me" is pure beauty and hipness with the immaculate voice of Nancy Wilson in a virtual jazz singing seminar, and with Cannonball and Nat Adderley adding wonderful jazzy flourishes. A signature performance for the ages, but the unavailable later "live" version is even better.

A startlingly beautiful performance by the legendary Thelonious Monk of "I Should Care" with incredible chording and no solo to speak of, just a magnificent statement and re-statement of the theme, revealing parts of the song that may suprise you. One of the greatest jazz solo piano performances. Masterful!!

Leo Wright plays an amazing alto sax solo on an intensely beautiful "This Is The Way" backed by the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band playing a chart by the great Lalo Schifrin recorded live at Carnegie Hall. One of my favorites for many years. A great jazz ballad that demands to be heard.

Looking for the unusual Sinatra ballad that is off the beaten path, "All My Tomorrows" is one that certainly deserves more attention than it has received. This is a more mature Sinatra version, as opposed to an earlier version, which he delivers BIG TIME. This is the 2008 CD compilation, released to great fanfare.

A great Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers CD with the outstanding lineup of Lee Morgan on trumpet, Benny Golson on tenor sax, Bobby Timmons on piano, Jymie Merritt on bass, and Buhaina on drums. The amazing ballad here is Golson's "Along Came Betty" which receives relaxed but exhultant solos from all and has remained a favorite for years.

The superb, smokey, and haunting "Maryam" was the first jazz ballad I ever heard and is still one of the best ballad performances ever, with Jamal conjuring up beautiful phrases and rhapsodic runs in front of Perkins' wonderful brushwork and Crosby's rock solid bass underpining. Just a marvelous, masterful late night-type performance. Amid lots of other Jamal excellence.

Stan Kenton uses voices to replace many of his orchestral instruments-and it works BIG TIME. "Day Dreams In The Night" and "SolitaIre" are exceptionally beautiful, with the Kenton spare piano in evidence. Also "I Will Follow You" and "Night Song" (note the exceptional 7 note figure scatted by a female voice) are also great.