When I was starting my exploration of jazz about eight or so years ago, Hank Jones was one of the first musicians I gravitated toward.  By complete chance I was listening to a local jazz radio station and heard a studio version of one of his original compositions, "Interface", and made it my mission to hear more from the man who had written such a wonderful song. Although I never did track down that album (The Oracle, long out of print), I did ... Read on, Daddy-O

An album cover doesn't have to be pretty to be great.  And that's certainly the case with jazz guitar legend Wes Montgomery's A Day in the Life, released in 1967. I'm not sure what the inspiration was behind this rather striking cover photo was, as I don't imagine it would have appealed to people in the late '60s, even though smoking was obviously much more acceptable then.  I know Montgomery was a smoker, so that likely played a part. Anyway, this was Montgomery's debut ... Read on, Daddy-O