Good grief! If you don’t already own this album, rush out and buy it. For most children born in America in the latter half of the 20th century Mr. Guaraldi is their first exposure to the world of jazz. My first recollections of sound are my mother’s heartbeat and the …

Sonny Rollins The Sound of Sonny Riverside Records The first track of this collection, “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” by tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins highlights what the album has to offer. Sonny makes you pay attention because he doesn’t just play the song as you’ve heard it before; eight …

Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral On A Moving Train Directed by Deb Ellis & Denis Mueller This film is a documentary about an American patriot, Howard Zinn, historian, activist and author of the book A People’s History of the United States. The film is made up of archival news …

Wes Montgomery The Best Of… Riverside Records For those of you overwhelmed by the investment in time and money it would require for the purchase of Wes Montgomery: The Complete Riverside Recordings, you can try this one CD because all of the tracks that appear on it are also in …

Milt Jackson The Best of… Riverside Records Milt Jackson, first gained notoriety as a jazz vibraphonist when he was a part of the rhythm section of Dizzy Gillespie’s big band in the late 1940s. From there he went to become a co-founder of the Modern Jazz Quartet along with pianist …

Gomez Split The Difference Virgin Records Gomez’ Tom Gray calls Split The Difference “a big, loud, tight rock ‘n’ roll album with some psychedelic elements.” I would certainly agree and the band makes its intentions known before a note is heard with the album cover’s Yellow Submarine homage. A fuzzed-out …

Umphrey’s McGee Anchor Drops Sci Fidelity Records Umphrey’s McGee is a very intriguing band because it is made up of musicians who play music for the sole purpose of playing music. Rather than writing calculated pop songs that appeal to the lowest common denominator, they challenge the listener, almost daring …

Henry Mancini Ultimate Mancini Concord Records This is a collection of Henry Mancini songs and themes from films and television programs ranging from the ’50s to the ’80s. Both Oscar and Grammy nominations and awards have been bestowed on most of the selections. Some of the songs are classics, like …

Directed by Joseph Mealey & Michael Shoob Based on the book by James C. Moore & Wayne Slater This is a documentary about how Karl Rove became President George W. Bush’s Senior Advisor and chief political strategist. It shows his political beginnings in the Young Republicans, his political campaign work …

Directed by John McTiernanWritten by Jim Thomas & John Thomas I was certain I had seen Predator before. Not sure when, but years ago. I mean, I’d seen plenty of Arnold’s stuff during the ’80s: Conan, Commando, Running Man, etc. I knew the plot was about Arnold and company being …