 | A Night Out With Verve by Various Artists
Buy new: $26.99 / Used from: $12.71 Four great discs with amazing performances, a great introduction to jazz
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 | The Best of Jazz 'Round Midnight by Various Artists
Buy used from: $2.85 Again, no compilations are better at mood-setting than Verve, especially Oscar Peterson's take on "Porgy" here
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 | Eee-O-11: The Best Of The Rat Pack by Frank Sinatra
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $6.70 The soundtrack to your Vegas fantasy: the explosive cool we expect of Frank, Dean and Sammy: "Ain't That A Kick in the Head" is always perfect for an occasion
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 | Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 6: Rhapsodesia by Various Artists
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $4.49 I know it stands out from everything, but I included this for the great late night lounge groove of "Girl Talk" and "Ebb Tide"
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 | Jukebox Jazz: From the Southside of Chicago by Various Artists
Buy used from: $7.99 Hot, Lusty Windy City Jazz from the 50s: Joe Williams, Jimmy Rushing and Coleman hawkins on one great disc
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 | An Anthology of Big Band Swing (1930-1955) by Various Artists
Buy new: $27.98 / Used from: $5.99 Perfect examples of the way jazz grew up over 25 years, some great late 1930's swing music
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 | Capitol Records' From The Vaults: The Birth Of A Label by Various Artists
Buy used from: $4.47 Amazing 25-track disc, contains great jazz pickup groups, tender 40's big band vocals, wartime novelties, and Nat King Cole's first great ballad
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 | Big Bands, Vol. 2: It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing by Various Artists
Buy used from: $0.78 Got me hooked on jazz, amazing mix of styles, Dizzy Gillespie bop, Bing Crosby crooning, Basie, Benny Goodman, Krupa, Dorsey Bros., Billie Holiday
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 | Oscillatin' Rhythm: Great Swing Hits in Hi-Fi by Various Artists
Buy used from: $3.19 Great stereo renditions of swing classics by Benny Goodman, Basie, and Duke, and some sweet ballads--Check out "Sing Sing Sing" and "Smoke Rings"
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 | Our Love Is Here to Stay: Ella & Louis Sing Gershwin by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $0.55 Duets are true classics and solos are great too: dig Ella's backing on "Lady Be Good" and Oscar Peterson's and Nelson Riddle's arrangements
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 | Coltrane for Lovers by John Coltrane
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $2.50 First-rate Coltrane intro: great duets with singer Johnny Hartman and Duke Ellington--"In A Sentimental Mood" is beautiful
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 | Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley by Nancy Wilson w
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $5.00 My favorite jazz album: perfect 60's Cannonball instrumentals and Nancy's mysterious/romantic vocals
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 | A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing by Vince Guaraldi Trio
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $4.29 Shows "Peanuts" composer Vince Guaraldi's intimate touch rivaled Bill Evans: "Yesterdays" can make you cry
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 | Kind of Blue by Miles Davis
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $2.71 Greatest jazz combo ever: Miles, Coltrane, Cannonball, Bill Evans, Wynton, and Chambers and Cobb, best late night album ever
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 | Perfectly Frank by Tony Bennett
Buy used from: $0.58 Tony is in fine form here, a great tribute to Sinatra's greatest songs with a saloon singer touch, "You Go to My Head" and "One for My Baby" stand out
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 | Chet Baker Sings by Chet Baker
Buy new: $8.99 / Used from: $4.97 Best intro to Chet's unusual vocals and glorious trumpet that made such amazing songs, especially "But Not for Me"
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 | Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy by Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars
Buy used from: $1.72 Satchmo's best album, with his favorite songs and his best backup band, best version ever of "St. Louis Blues"
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 | Songs for Young Lovers/Swing Easy by Frank Sinatra
Buy new: $11.94 / Used from: $7.00 Frank as we remember him best: First Nelson Riddle collaborative album, one of his best
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 | The Blanton-Webster Band by Duke Ellington
Buy used from: $12.54 Best collection of Duke's music, at his 1940s peak with Billy Strayhorn's arrangements and Ben Webster's best work
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 | Artie Shaw - Greatest Hits by Artie Shaw
Buy new: $7.98 / Used from: $3.48 I love big band romance, and this is some of the best, with some good swing, and dynamite vocals by Helen Forrest and Billie Holiday
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 | 1947 Transcription Performances by Claude Thornhill
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $11.98 Claude Thornhill's band inspired Miles Davis and thrilled big band audiences: great vocals and subtle, beautiful arrangements
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 | The Misty Miss Christy by June Christy
Buy new: $9.93 / Used from: $3.58 Underrated singer; great voice of the 50's with sublime Rugolo arrangements; "For All We Know" is heartbreaking
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 | Cool Struttin' by Sonny Clark
Buy new: $8.94 / Used from: $4.88 Perfect intro to the hard bop Blue Note sound by Clark, who died too soon--also check out "Undercurrent" by Kenny Drew
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 | Come by Me by Harry Connick Jr.
Buy new: $7.98 / Used from: $0.47 Harry Connick shows off his jazz chops here, great singing, piano playing, excellent band (especially Marsalis) and Connick's instrumental "Next Door Blues" really jumps.
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 | Jazz 'Round Midnight: Erroll Garner by Erroll Garner
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $8.85 One of the greatest sounds in jazz piano, Garner's "Misty" is here, a lot of his early work, and a marathon reading of "Over the Rainbow". Beautiful.
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