The original soundtrack recording of Neil Simon's California Suite. Pianist, composer, producer, and bandleader Claude Bolling enjoyed his first successes as a kingpin in the mainland European trad jazz movement of the 1950s and '60s. A skilled pianist who was heavily influenced by Duke Ellington, Teddy Wilson, Earl Hines, and Art Tatum, he also persisted in performing ragtime and old-style jazz during the years when U.S. and European pop culture was dominated by Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Beginning in 1975, Bolling created his own personal micro-genre of classical crossover chamber jazz, composing and recording entire suites that featured several of the world's most highly acclaimed virtuosi.

For all the self-generated hype that Tzadik releases carry on their spine inserts, the one that accompanies Bill Frisell's Silent Comedy is pretty close to accurate. This really is the guitarist as you've never heard him before – at least on record. He's improvising live in a studio with no edits or overdubs. Some of the 11 pieces included here carry traces of his signature bell-like tone, but this is a very free recording.

Born of a Monterey Jazz Festival commission in 2012, Bill Frisell’s “Big Sur” features an hour of original music, 19 compositions that explicitly reference the coastal-mountain environment known as Big Sur; a region that occupies 90 miles of spectacular central California coastline. Titles such as “A Good Spot”, “Going to California”, “A Beautiful View”, “Big Sur”, and “On the Lookout” evoke the remote and pastoral setting with musical blends of chamber jazz, country, classical, folk, and rock. Joined by violinist Jenny Scheinman, violist Eyvind Kang, cellist Hank Roberts, and drummer Rudy Royston, the group premiered the music at the festival in September 2012. Six months later, the quintet recorded “Big Sur” at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California, with longtime Frisell collaborators Lee Townsend and Adam Muñoz producing and engineering, respectively.

Marking its 30th anniversary, JazzTimes magazine convened an all-star band to play an energetic and entertaining set of soul jazz. Bob Berg, Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers, Joey DeFrancesco, and guest guitarist Paul Bollenback aptly form this superband, each bringing his unique talents to the musical table. Berg is at his intense, wailing best on the self-composed "Silverado" and groovy, party maker "Friday Night at the Cadillac Club." Brecker is bright and playful on his own "Dirty Dogs" and "Jones Street."

Bebo is considered one of the figures of the golden age of Cuban music and also performer of Afro-Cuban jazz. Since his departure from Cuba in 1960 to settle permanently in Sweden in 1963, Bebo disappeared from the musical memories of his Cuban people and spent more than 30 years out of his career until he reappeared in 1994 managing to recover his memory and triumphing with several of his jobs at the Grammy Awards. This album is a reissue of a compilation of recordings made in 1959, shortly before his departure from Cuba, with his orchestra (the first 11 issues), to which is added 4 Bebo cuts playing piano and featuring the ensemble 'Los Cordobeses'.

Even when not composing music for film, John Williams tends to tie his music to fairly concrete images, as this collection of cello works attests. The inspiration for Heartwood, for example, came from a book containing photographs of trees. His Three Pieces for Solo Cello were attempts to reflect the African-American experience. In the liner notes of this CD, Williams describes the cello as groaning under the crack of the work-gang whip for Rosewood, dancing exuberantly in Pickin', and singing a lullaby in The Long Road North.