Recorded and released by Sonny Rollins in 1958, his last album for Riverside, "The Freedom Suite" is considered one of his finest, capturing the saxophonist at his peak. Famous for its 20 minute title track, the LP also features acclaimed performances by bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Max Roach, who lock into synch with Rollins for some masterful improvisation.

By the time Miles Davis recorded "The Musings Of Miles", he'd expanded and refined his approach to the bop idiom which had nurtured him, and the cool approach - which he'd championed. He learned to refine and edit his line, discovered what aspects of his style were derivative and which were truly his own, and, most importantly, zeroed in on his own signature sound and style of phrasing.

A music legend like no other, Ray Charles earned the nickname "Genius" for recording countless jazz, country, R&B and pop masterpieces during a career that spanned seven decades. This Box Set features mono mixes for the seven outstanding solo studio albums he recorded for Atlantic Records. For this new collection, the following albums have been fully remastered from the original mono analog tapes, echoing the experience of the era, when most fans were hearing music on record players, jukeboxes and radios that played music monaurally: "Ray Charles" (1957), "The Great Ray Charles" (1957), "Yes, Indeed!" (1958), "What'd I Say" (1959), "The Genius Of Ray Charles" (1959), "The Genius After Hours" (1961), and "The Genius Sings The Blues" (1961).

This all-star session was put together by Down Beat magazine featuring the winners and runners-up from the magazine's critic's poll in 1957. While John Coltrane's name may leap out at you from the cover art, he only plays his tenor sax on half the songs here. On the remaining material Coltrane leads the orchestra, a new step for him at the time and a glimpse at an interesting early chapter of his history. And what an orchestra it was: composed of the best of the up-and-coming New York jazz scene, the other musicians in the Winner's Circle here include Donald Byrd on trumpet, Al Cohn on baritone sax, Eddie Costa on piano and vibes, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Oscar Pettiford on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums.

"Dream of You", the third studio album by Helen Merrill, was arranged and conducted by Gil Evans. This recording immediately preceded the first of Evans' famous albums with Miles Davis, "Miles Ahead". In 1987, Merrill and Evans reunited to record new versions of the same songs for the album Collaboration. This reissue of "Dream of You" includes additional tracks.

"The Nearness of You" is the fifth studio album by American jazz vocalist Helen Merrill. It includes performances of standards from two sessions with completely different lineups of accompanying musicians. The later session from February 21, 1958, features very notable jazz performers such as pianist Bill Evans and bassist Oscar Pettiford.

Brilliant Corners is a studio album by American jazz musician Thelonious Monk. It was his third album for Riverside Records, and the first, for this label, to include his own compositions. The complex title track required over a dozen takes in the studio. The album was recorded in three sessions in late 1956 with two different quintets.

Oscar Pettiford was not only one of the best bassists in jazz but was also one of the first to make the cello a solo instrument. Pettiford had to be considered equal, and possibly even better than Charles Mingus, when discussing the most important bass players in jazz at the time of this 1954 Hollywood recording. The quintet of Pettiford with Julius Watkins on French horn, Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, pianist Duke Jordan and drummer Ron Jefferson are at their best supporting Pettiford who performs here on both bass and cello.

Sam Most switches from his usual instrument, the flute, to the clarinet on this 1957 album that pays tribute to the songs of Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis. The eight songs here are divided into two sessions: one featuring Most leading a 16-piece orchestra and another with Most backed by a sextet. Both bands were made up of a combination of East Coast musicians.

"Soul Brothers" is a striking collaboration between two music luminaries, Ray Charles and Milt Jackson. The extraordinary outing features the pair showcasing their impressive musicianship, performing on various instruments including the piano, alto-saxophone, guitar and vibraphone. The album is an effortless blend of jazz, soul and R&B. Included were the astounding tunes, “Soul Brothers”, “How Long Blues” and “Deed I Do”. The recording is an essential document in music history, available as a pristine hi-res download.

"While At Birdland", recorded in 1957, was only one of two albums Pat Moran made for Bethlehem. The session features a large ensemble with a front line accompanying Beverly Kelly and the rhythm section members on vocals. Pat Moran leads the rhythm section on piano and backing vocals with John Doling on bass and vocals and Johnny Whited on drums and vocals. Oscar Pettiford plays bass on some of the tracks here.

The Hawk Flies High is a 1957 album by jazz tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. Apart from Barry Galbraith and Jo Jones on guitar and drums, the line-up of his accompanying sextet had a bebop background, namely J.J. Johnson on trombone, Idrees Sulieman on trumpet, pianist Hank Jones, and Oscar Pettiford on bass.

Miles Davis' recordings from the years of 1951-1954 are often overlooked for a number of reasons. Davis had a somewhat erratic lifestyle at the time, and these recordings do not feature the first 'classic' quintet. Even though Davis did not record nearly as often as in later years, what was recorded is quite outstanding.

This album capture the momentous meeting of four great iconoclastic jazz figures. It was a historic, magical moment when Coleman Hawkins, Bud Powell, Oscar Pettiford and Kenny Clarke came together on the stage of the Grugahalie in Essen on the evening of April 2nd, 1960 and played for an Essen Jazz Festival audience of some 8,000 people. That audience was uniquely privileged because it was to witness the performance of some most inspirational spontaneous music from a quartet of jazz masters who were destined never to play together again. Oscar Pettiford, one of the prime emancipators of the bass, died later that year; Bud Powell went to that great 52nd Street in the sky six years later. And three years after that, Coleman Hawkins was dead. A most precious recording, then - and it underscores yet again the gratitude that all jazz lovers owe to the people who ensure that such auspicious musical encounters are preserved on record.