Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life” is beautiful. It’s peculiar. It’s sad. It reflects a path of life on which we have all wandered. But which version is best?

The deeply underrated Nancy Wilson nails the sense of hopeful anxiety that surrounds Dec. 31 every year.

She remains a wonder of range and sassy interpretation.

Endlessly engaging, Michael Wolff was praised by the New York Times for “near impeccable good taste, technical facility and lyrical inventiveness.”

George Shearing, the sightless bebop-influenced pianist best known for the 1952 jazz standard “Lullaby of Birdland,” died today of congestive heart failure at age 91. Here’s a look back at a favorite Shearing release, done alongside singer Nancy Wilson … by Nick DeRiso One of the smartest things Nancy WilsonRead More

NICK DERISO: “Guess Who I Saw Today,” from Nancy Wilson’s second Capitol Records recording “Something Wonderful,” always stops me in my tracks. “You’re so late getting home from the office,” she begins. “Did you miss your train? Were you caught in the rain? No, don’t bother to explain.” And soRead More