First publication of this unreleased concert. August 5, 1975: Sarah Vaughan is chosen to open the famous Jazz Festival in Laren, a small village near Amsterdam. She slips in among her musicians, including Bob Magnusson, Jimmy Cobb, Miles Davis's drummer, and Carl Schroeder, her pianist who has accompanied her for more than 20 years. At 51, not only does the "Divine" use the full range of her voice to sail from the roughest bass to the most scintillating highs, but she smiles, grasps the slightest emotion, seeks communion with each spectator as if he or she were unique, as if she were singing only for him.

On the evening of November 29th 1958, on the stage of the Kurhaus in Scheveningen, when Art Blakey grabs the microphone to say "I would like to take a moment and say good evening on behalf of the Jazz Messengers and myself", everyone knows that he is living a historic moment. Pianist Bobby Timmons has just created the iconic "Moanin'" and saxophonist Benny Golson the famous "Along Came Betty", which the Jazz Messengers mix with compositions by their illustrious companions, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. The essence of world jazz is on stage, and is taken up again on this edition forgotten until today.

On February 10, 1961 at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, just one year after her famous Berlin concert, Ella Fitzgerald once again found herself in front of a packed house. Following a sober introduction of the musicians by Norman Granz, Ella Fitzgerald took to the stage. With the freshness of the eternal, slightly impertinent little girl, she propels herself one note into the rhythm of "Too Close for Comfort". Her voice settles, she holds her audience by the hand, gently, surely. Ella takes to the stage as if in her own living room. She welcomes each spectator like a privileged guest. Each song is a glass of champagne that she offers with grace. At times melancholy, at times playful, most of the time laughing, dynamic and catchy. "Hilariously inventive Ella! As Bing Crosby once said: "Man, woman or child, Ella is the greatest of them all”.

Who is this man who quietly enters the small VARA studio in Hilversum on June 22, 1968? Bill Evans. He has the figure of Yves Saint-Laurent, slim, and that same "pretend I'm not here" attitude. Smiling behind him are Puerto Rican drummer Jack Dejohnettes and bassist Eddie Gomez, his constant touring companion for several years. A month ago, they won a historic Grammy Award in Montreux, a kind of coronation for Bill Evans that confirms him at the top of his art. Evans knows like no other how to give true colors to life. A musician out of any category, out of any caste, everyone feels that he is this genius jazz tailor to whom a generation of pianists will dedicate respect and admiration. This is the first publication of this historic recording.

On 25 August 1973 Dizzy Gillespie came to the Dutch public in Laren. True to form, he introduced his musicians in a mischievous and generous mood and then launched thunderously into a Caribbean tempo that lasted 19 minutes! Then, in a deep voice, Dizzy evokes his friend Martin Luther King. He dedicates "Brother K" to him, a tender ballad punctuated by flashes of storm and anger. As a conclusion Dizzy invokes his roots: "The Blues", where he abandons his trumpet to unleash the full force and warmth of his voice. The musicians withdraw to a surprisingly light theme. We leave as we arrive, on tiptoe. However, we leave with a certainty:“Yes Dizzy, you made it”.

With the support of the American State Department, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, including new members Joe Morello and Eugene Wright, began a major tour of Europe early in 1958. Their first concert in the Netherlands was held on 26 February in the legendary Concertgebouw Hall in Amsterdam, usually reserved for performances of classical music. Since 1951 and the collaboration between Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond, the band had gained a stunning reputation. In 1954, Dave Brubeck was featured on the cover of Time magazine. Rumor has it that Duke Ellington knocked on Brubeck’s hotel door to congratulate him. Brubeck is said to have responded, “It should have been you.” He dedicated one of his most famous pieces, “The Duke”, included on this album, to his fellow pianist.