By now, you’ve probably had just enough of the same old holly jolly stuff. Mark Saleski is here to help with some suggestions from off the beaten path.

A highlight of ‘Ultimate Sinatra,’ everything is in place on Frank Sinatra’s Count Basie collaboration “Best is Yet to Come.” And then it surprises you.

Sometimes, you’ve simply got to talk back to the blues. That’s what happened to Jimmy Rushing, appearing here with the Count Basie Orchestra.

Though somewhat less distinctive in his moment than Frank Foster, reedman Frank Wess has outlived his late long-time partner in the Count Basie Band — and that’s provided an opportunity to reassess his contributions, in particular on the flute. You May Also Like: No related posts.

Tony Bennett’s warm, inviting delivery would seem perfectly suited to seasonal music — and it is. You May Also Like: Jazz Reedist Daniel Bennett on How Musicians Can Thrive In (and After) the Pandemic Age [Part 1 of 2] Daniel Bennett Group – ‘New York Nerve’ (2020)

New York City circa 1958, for the jazz aficionado, was the place to be. Possibly no other artifact can confirm this statement with more clarity than photographer Art Kane’s landmark portrait A Great Day in Harlem. You May Also Like: Esquire featuring Nikki Squire, “Ministry of Life” (2016): One TrackRead More

On this special edition of Something Else! Reviews’ One Track Mind, we hand the reins over to jazz drummer Chico Hamilton. You May Also Like: Digging Into Craft Recordings’ 2021 Chet Baker Vinyl Reissues

The crashing brilliance of “The Best Is Yet To Come,” courtesy of Frank Sinatra and the Count Basie band, came to mind on this, the fifth anniversary of Something Else! Reviews. You May Also Like: No related posts.

Those looking to get a groove going inside Count Basie’s sprawling, soul-deep catalogue should start with his 1970s stuff — where, more often than not, you find Basie in accessible, small-group settings. Here’s my favorite, a trio recording originally issued by Pablo that was reissued in 2006. I immediately connectedRead More

The King has been dead for nearly a half century. Not that you’d know it with all the reissues, television specials and creepy rip offs from Nat Cole’s daughter over the last pair of decades. He’s funny that way. Cole has had more output over that period than many livingRead More