One of Sir Roland Hanna's last recordings prior to his death at the end of 2002 was this session for the Japanese Venus label. With seven of the 12 songs incorporating the word "dream" in their titles, it seemed to be a fitting title for the album. Dream away with jazz piano virtuoso!

Funky jazz pianist Yoshioka Hideaki's long-awaited first East Coast recording. Hideaki plays with Jamir Nasser and Jimmy Cobb who he was eager to co-star most. Includes "Don't Take Your Love From Me", "Blowin' The Blues Away", "Some One To Light Up My Life", "Harlem Blues" and "Moment To Moment", plus two Yoshioka originals. Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio.

Established in Miami, on life support in L.A., then finally burnished in New York City, the Konrad Paszkudzki Trio's aesthetic can be summed up in three words: mood, sizzle and swing. Their sound is classic yet timeless in its mode of expression, captivating ardent lovers of the jazz idiom and Tin Pan Alley tradition alike. "Konrad Paszkudzki has a pearly touch, a sense of history, a sense of drama, a love of the blues, and an elegance which is borne of high minded dedication" – Wynton Marsalis

A die-hard bopper, alto saxophonist Phil Woods nonetheless manages to push the boundaries of straight-ahead hard bop on Souvenirs. As far as the '90s go, this is one of Woods' best. This version of Woods' quintet, most notably featuring trumpeter Brian Lynch, is a solid entity with much forward momentum. Lynch, a member of Art Blakey's last Jazz Messengers lineup, is easily one the best trumpeters around, displaying a knack for interesting note choices and lines that border on the progressive. Woods sounds thoroughly engaged throughout, attacking each tune with his characteristic fire.

On this tribute to Ray Brown, this stellar trio plays its way through 11 standards in nearly 66 minutes, and the result is as fresh and tasty as you could ever wish. The trio's instrumentation begs comparison with the great Oscar Peterson Trio, of whom Brown was such an important member, but this threesome plays with confidence and gusto, as if to scoff at the folly of such futile mind play. Joy and good fun exude from the disc as if from pores, writes reviewer J. Robert Bragonier.

Vocalist Laird Jackson is known for her personalized renditions of pop and jazz standards and also has a few originals to her credit. She is recorded and released Quiet Flame in 1994. It would be eight years until she she made another album.

Austrian singer Simone Kopmajer's (formerly known simply as "Simone") New Romance from Venus Records is a fresh and thrilling encounter of classical music and jazz. Simone and lyricist Karolin Tuerk wrote the lyrics to well-known classical melodies by Liszt, Chopin, Ravel, Bach and others, and performed them with talented Viennese musicians. Surprisingly, these new "songs" sound natural and even familiar, as if they are jazz standards. A fascinating, new jazz vocal album.

A cool-toned Austrian jazz vocalist, Simone Kopmajer sings in flawless English. "Moonlight Serenade" features an outstanding interpretations of classics. Onboard with vocalist Simone is John Di Martino on piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass and Philipp Kopmajer on drums.

This live release is a fresh, energetic and unique approach to jazz standards and songs from other genres, recorded with legendary musicians from the US. Jazz vocalist Simone Kopmajer gathered a team of Terry Myers, Ron Teixeira, Rabbit Simmons and Reinhardt Winkler to compile an album of jazz favorites. She puts her spin on John Lennon's "Imagine" and includes the jazz standard "Tea For Two".

Born in Western Australia to Polish immigrant parents, Konrad’s musical affinity and passion for jazz piano revealed itself early on. On this album, Konrad Paszkudzki and his piano join together with Dylan Shamat, bass, and Dag Markhus, drums, to compile a 14-track album of the Jimmy Van Heusen songbook.

A jazz pianist noted for his versatility and elegance, Derek Smith, from the '50s was a staple on the U.K. jazz scene, regularly performing with the giants like Kenny Graham, John Dankworth, and Kenny Baker. Smith remains relatively unknown in the U.S. but is strongly admired by fellow musicians and ardent fans. For his debut for Venus Records, Smith - who was 76 years old at the time of the recording - was paired with a very strong rhythm section: Peter Washington on bass and Joe Ascione on drums. In a program of well-known standards, Smith impresses the listener with his swinging, dynamic and even fiery pianism on fast tunes and beautiful touch and harmonic elegance on slow numbers.

A jazz pianist noted for his versatility and elegance, Derek Smith, originally from London, has been playing professionally in the US since 1957. He remains relatively unknown in the US but is strongly admired by fellow musicians and ardent fans. Following his successful debut Beautiful Love, a trio album, Smith went into the studio by himself this time to record a solo album at the suggestion of Venus producer Tetsuo Hara. A program of well-known touch and harmonic elegance, romantic and even dreamy interpretations and an undeniable sense of jazz and swing.

Eric Alexander has had many opportunities to record as a leader for several different labels, though producer Tetsuo Hara, owner of the Japanese label Venus, has become a huge fan, recording him almost any time he travels to New York City. This is another superb outing by Eric Alexander on a freewheeling trio to compile a nine-track full of jazz's favorite staples from John Coltrane, Cole Porter and many more! There's a new sort of edge in Eric's horn, sided with the sublime work of Dezron Douglas on bass and Neal Smith on drums, which he displays throughout the set with a new great sense of spirituality.

An even deeper jazz set than Nicole Henry’s first album - recorded with the Eddie Higgins Trio, and done in a style that’s traditional, yet extremely soulful! There’s a sound here that reminds us a lot of Carmen Lundy - as Nicole’s singing jazz, but doing so in a mode that’s never draped with any of the torchy cliches of other singers - and which is as informed by a history of soul music as it is more standard influences from jazz.

This wonderful studio date by the talented Catalonian blind pianist Tete Montoliu was recorded in his native Barcelona in March of 1992, but until now it had been only available on a long out of print CD issued in Japan by the Alfa Jazz label shortly after being recorded. The renowned VENUS label presents it back again for everyone to enjoy. Tete is backed by New Orleans drummer Idris Muhammad, and Netherlands born bassist Hein Van de Geyn, and the program features a selection of Catalan traditional songs, plus two versions of songs by the remarkable Joan Manuel Serrat (“Words of Love”, which Tete recorded on several other occasions, and the more seldom heard “My Street”), and one Montoliu original, "I Don't Smoke Anymore".