George Benson is simply one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history, but he is also an amazingly versatile musician, and that frustrates to no end critics who would paint him into a narrow bop box. He can play in just about any style -- from swing to bop to R&B to pop -- with supreme taste, a beautiful rounded tone, terrific speed, a marvelous sense of logic in building solos, and, always, an unquenchable urge to swing. His inspirations may have been Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery -- and he can do dead-on impressions of both -- but his style is completely his own. Not only can he play lead brilliantly, he is also one of the best rhythm guitarists around, supportive to soloists and a dangerous swinger, particularly in a soul-jazz format.

In a recording career that spans almost three decades and 23 albums, Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Kenny G has grafted elements of R&B, pop and Latin to a jazz foundation solidifying his reputation as the premiere artist in contemporary jazz. Since the early ‘80s, his combination of unparalleled instrumental chops and indelible melodies has resulted in sales of more than 75 million records.

This double-CD set presents a real conundrum, on a lot of levels. For starters, on its face, 55 songs may well seem like overkill to the casual fan who only knows or remembers (or thinks they only remember) five or six big hits by Paul Revere & the Raiders. And there are more modest single-CD collections to be found on this band that seem less daunting. But as it turns out -- for those who give this set a try -- Paul Revere & the Raiders did have just enough hits, when coupled with a sufficient number of respected album tracks and B-sides, to sustain a double-CD set. And that goes double for anyone who likes plain old rock & roll -- even when this band got ambitious and a little bit progressive and serious, they never lost sight of the value of a great beat and carefully placed vocal and instrumental hooks, and they were always fun. The truth is, whether it was the classic lineup playing frat rock or an early-'70s version of the band delving into more complex songs, these guys delivered high-quality music across a decade, from 1964 through 1974, and it's all represented here. And amazingly, this was the first Raiders compilation to include "Indian Reservation," the group's only number one hit, or to place it alongside their earlier round of hits, so that one can hear their progression from Pacific Northwest dance rock to smoothly professional AM pop/rock, absorbing elements of the British Invasion, garage punk, and psychedelia along the way.

What an interesting album and what a great cross-sectional study of George Benson's evolution from young R&B based jazz-guitarist to easy jazz-pop phenomenom. Recording quality is generally good, except for 1-2 live songs. The listener can obviously take their pick which they prefer, but there's no denying that while George is best known for his Breezin and other albums from the 80's, he had a real eclectic body of work behind him that established him as a jazz leader. If you're one of those types who cry, "Hey he sold out", I'd counter that he brought the best of jazz to the pop world. The songs Breezin' and On Broadway are loads of fun, simply because they are well written and polished performances.

Recorded between 1944 & 1948. Through the miracle of high-resolution digital transfer and mastering technology, Bird enthusiasts can now get an earful of the shape of Charlie Parker's musical accomplishments for Savoy and Dial in the 1940s. Available as a three-disc box set, the alto saxophonist is recorded in various configurations as performer and bandleader with such mainstream jazz greats as trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, pianists Bud Powell and Erroll Garner, drummer Max Roach, trombonist J.J. Johnson, and bassist Ray Brown, to name but a few. Charlie Parker draws on his pungent roots and rhythms of the Kansas City jazz scene on "Parker's Mood" and makes a deep statement of the existence of the blues in the jazz tradition. His freedom and rapid-fire sax lines on "Yardbird Suite" serve to confirm his excellence in crafting polished improvisations and solos. One of Parker's strongest compositions, "Orinithology," is pure, unadulterated bebop, and the unique sound of Parker's alto saxophone is clearly articulated through smoothly executed phrasings and cutting, focused energy. Parker picks up the tenor saxophone with the Miles Davis All-Stars on such great songs as "Milestones" and "Sippin' at Bell's." Overall, Bird audiophiles, jazz educators, and historians should be prepared to be impressed. This collection is arguably Bird's most important recording studio work. All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Ray Conniff had constantly innovate on sound since the mid 50s with the blending of voices and instruments. The combination gives a sort of smoothness in the sound of the music which cannot be reproduced with instruments alone. His adoption of the fast swinging rhythm introduces "life" and "color" to his music. The two discs album includes his all time favourites "'S Wonderful", "The Way You Look Tonight" and Tchaikovsky's "First Piano Concerto" which are almost synonymous with his name. I really enjoyed the two discs album even after 50 years. With modern digital remastering and believe me or not the CDs sounded even better with the same speakers which I designed 50 years ago, but with modern electronics. I will not hesitate to recommend the album to old Hi Fi enthusiast like myself.