The extraordinarily popular, cool-toned and fragile singing trumpeter with the looks of a movie star is back in the jazz world's public eye again, with a new biography out and a movie deal in the works. Chet Baker started out on top in the 1950s gigging with Charlie Parker, joining the Gerry Mulligan Quartet and soon becoming one of the most popular trumpeters in jazz. The late 50s and early 60s found Baker at the nadir of his career and suddenly he was out of music. Against all odds he made a comeback in the mid-70s. This CD documents a set taken from a live performance at San Francisco's Keystone Korner.

MYSTIKAL

ENDS & MEANS

WORKIN

POWER TRIO: LIVE IN CHICAGO

LIVIN ON LOVE

David Newman's latest offering, CITYSCAPE, finds him leading a four-horn unit, reminiscent of the Ray Charles little big band sound. David delivers perhaps his most ambitious project yet and provides an auspicious start for the 2006 jazz year.

WHAT'S NEW

WORK DONE

Weslia continues her traversal through the Great American Songbook with this tribute to composer McHugh, who never achieved the fame of Gershwin or Porter, but nonetheless created some true classics that were widely known, inc. "Don't Blame Me," "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" & "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me"

BROTHERS UNDER THE SUN

HARRISON ON HARRISON

You both enjoy doing things together. Vacations in the Wine Country. Quiet dinners in newly-discovered little restaurants. Watching "Seinfeld" reruns. Why not listen to music together? Pop this CD into the player and enjoy a glass of wine or make sweet, sweet love to this collection easy pleasers featuring Houston Person, Ernie Andrews, "Papa" John & Joey DeFrancesco, Cindy Blackman, James Spaulding, George Freeman, Larry Coryell, Etta Jones, Wesla Whitfield & others.

Pianist Hicks pays tribute to jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams, once again assimilating the essence of another jazz musician & merging it with his own creativity to come up with a sound that is totally his own, yet reminiscent of the other player

LATIN TINGE

The history of jazz vocals extends back perhaps even farther than jazz instrumentals and in that long history you find a lot of pretty impressive names. None are more illustrious than that of singer Chris Connor. A must have collection of classics.

Hammond B-3 organist is back in the ring for a second round, bringing ten tunes to the middle of the mat, and cooking through them with white heat from first note to last, backed by Paul Bollenback & Byron Landham

Young jazz lion, trumpeter, Russell Gunn reutns with this Blue on the D.L., a great blues-based, classic jazz album containing a fierceness of attack! It's refreshing to find jazz of such aggressive tension and darkenss amid today's "smooth" and "tehcno" trends.

On this, his 4th effort for the HighNote label, Randy Johnston provide ample evidence of his never ceasing evolution as a musician. He is passionate in his quest for new avenues of expression. On IS IT YOU?, the band swings and grooves, soars and sings through seven standards and three new R. Johnston originals.

Here's a compilation featuring tracks inspired by that lonesome feeling we've all felt a few times in our lives... The blues; includes songs from Johnnie Bassett, Irene Reid, J.J. Malone, Fillmore Slim, Etta Jones, Big Al Dupree, Charles Earland, Robert "Bilbo" Walker, Willie Willis, Arthur Williams & Tommy Bankhead

Throughout the history of jazz, there has been a number of players who chose to remain in one locale to practice their art. Teddy Edwards is one of them. Though he chose to immerse himself in L.A.'s lucrative TV & radio scene, he also toured through the '60s &'70s with the likes of Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Hines, Milt Jackson & others. With his roots still firmly planted in L.A., he brings his wealth of experience to tunes titled with women's names on this CD. These are not all slow, smoochy ballads - included are chop-busters, such as Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee" & the straight-ahead swing of Duke Pearson's "Jeannine".

Puerto Rican trumpeter Charlie Sep�lveda has been a fixture of the Latin jazz world since the late 1980s when he played in the band of pianist and composer Eddie Palmieri. During the 1990s the brassman toured and recorded with an array of great artists including Tito Puente and the Golden Latin Jazz All Stars, Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, Hilton Ruiz, Dave Valentin, Danilo P�rez, and Paul Simon among others. He launched his own group, The Turnaround and has been turning the tables on the traditional Latin jazz format ever since.

The Black Art Jazz Collective was founded in 2012 by Wayne Escoffery and Jeremy Pelt with the aim of honoring and preserving the art of some of the progenitors of jazz who inspired them, hired them and mentored them first hand. And while the band does pay homage to the greats of the past they also continue the evolving tradition of jazz with a body of work that remains firmly entrenched in the modernism of today. From the angular melody of Escoffery's "Involuntary Servitude," to the ingratiating groove of Pelt's "For the Kids," the ensemble extends the range and potential established by their illustrious predecessors with innovative original compositions, solos that run the gamut from thoughtful to virtuosic and a shared sense of purpose that is unique on today's jazz landscape.

2020 release. Dena DeRose's music is like a cool breeze; she's wry, wise, impeccably musical, no-nonsense, and fun. After her three decades as a pianist-singer, DeRose's voice and her fingers are on the most harmonious of terms. She's not afraid of simplicity; DeRose has no time for hollow sentiment, nor does she feel a compulsion to outsmart the makers of the Great American Songbook. Her approach to jazz resides mainly in her swinging rhythm and pianistic phrasing. Her eleventh album as a leader takes it's name from a breezy tune, full of hip changes, that was composed by Alan Broadbent. The lyrics, provided by the legendary Mark Murphy, resonated deeply with DeRose since when she's not teaching at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria, she's frequently on tour. Appropriately enough she is joined by three other HighNote artists-singer Sheila Jordan, saxophonist Houston Person, and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt-all of whom have appeared with DeRose on her global travels. With her long-time rhythm section of Martin Wind and Matt Wilson DeRose delivers recording that celebrates the life of the jazz artist and the friendships they make.

The Philadelphia-born trumpeter-bandleader Wallace Roney has been a significant force on the jazz scene from the age 16. With twenty one recordings as a leader, and some impressive work with McCoy Tyner, Dizzy Gillespie, Elvin Jones, Chick Corea, and as the proteg� of Miles Davis. Roney has secured his place in jazz history as a member of VSOP. This new CD, features Roney as the mentor and guiding light of a quicksilver group of the Next Generation Jazz Artists: Emilio Modeste (saxes), Oscar Williams II (piano), Paul Cuffari (bass) and Kojo Odu Roney (drums). The core group is augmented by Philadelphia guitarist Quitin Zoto and the legendary drummer, Lenny White, who played on Miles Davis' classic Bitches Brew recording. From the pointillistically beautiful "Why Should There Be Stars" to the new sounds of Dave Liebman's "New Breed" Roney and company offer a rare glimpse into the future of jazz.