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An album cover representing a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes

Enjoy a a vocal date from saxophonist Dave Pell with the brilliant, yet underrated singer Lucy Ann Polk. The two only recorded on this one occasion, offering up an LP featuring some sublime arrangements of jazz standards.
A stylized album cover featuring a purple dress with yellow frills

We remember the late vibes master Roy Ayers with a look back at his debut LP from 1963.
A tightly-cropped photo of Roy Ayers in a fedora in the studio

We're giving some big ups to organ maestro Big John Patton this week. He was one of a number of B3 players to make their mark on Blue Note Records, capturing the aesthetic of the soul jazz movement that came about during the early 1960s.
A blue-hued photo of organ player John Patton in the Van Gelder studios

From the Basie band to Hollywood sessions to leading her own outfits, Helen Humes became a real staple of the LA scene back in the '60s - and we sample her debut on Contemporary Records.
A photo of Helen Humes performing on a dark stage.

Not many jazz outfits could really challenge the supremacy of drummer Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in the 1950s and '60s, but one group came close.
A gren-hued photo of a fruit market

The flute is a special instrument in jazz. It's not the most common horn, and few dedicate their careers to playing the flute exclusively, but when it does make an appearance, the flute can really cut through.
A painting of grey poles against a pink evening sky

As we mark International Women's Day on March 8, we're revisiting a swinging live album from the legendary pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams.
A purple-hued photo of Mary Lou Williams looking into the camera

Jazz and love stories? You’d think that wouldn’t be a thing - but you could really make a movie out of the career of Marian McPartland.
A photo of two white doves sitting on a Steinway grand piano

Enjoy an LP that brought together American jazz and Brazilian bossa nova for the first time.
An abstract art piece featuring deep reds and blacks

We explore a kicking big band session from the Swedish talent Alice Babs.
'Alice And Wonderband' cover featuring Alice Babs in black-and-white

We celebrate trumpet giant Lee Morgan with a look back at a fantastic session he cut for Blue Note in the mid 1960s.
A photo of Lee Morgan in the Rudy Van Gelder studio holding his trumpet and pointing behind him

Teddy Edwards was one of L.A.'s finest tenor sax players, working with everyone from the Gerald Wilson Orchestra to sessions with Tom Waits.
A photo of Teddy Edward in a red shirt with his tenor saxophone

Talent contests these days seem to be more spectacle than substance, but back in the day they were an important means of showcasing emerging artists.
For Those In Love

Over the summer break, we're looking back at classic albums recorded and released 60 years ago in 1965.
A collage of artists who released albums in 1965

Classy was one way to describe the master drummer Roy Haynes.
A green-hued photo of Roy Haynes and his trio in a convertable next to the Rudy Van Gelder studio