Growing up in East Los Angeles' gangland, cousins Miklo (Damian Chapa), Paco (Benjamin Bratt) and Cruz (Jesse Borrego) become more like brothers, forging a strong blood bond. When a simple twist of fate sends their lives veering in separate directions - Paco into the military, Miklo to San Quentin prison, and Cruz to a life of drug addiction - the trio continue to keep touch as they strive to achieve their goals.

A three-disc box set from England's Avid Records, Little Jazz Giant tracks trumpeter Roy Eldridge's career from his early work as part of the Delta Four in 1935 through his own efforts to front a swing combo in the late '30s, his work with bandleaders Teddy Hill and Fletcher Henderson, his brilliant early-'40s sides with Gene Krupa, his profitable stay with Artie Shaw, his uncertain position with the modern bop community, and finally, four concluding tracks with Oscar Peterson. In retrospect, it's interesting how many of the most striking cuts here were actually written by Eldridge, including "That Thing," "The Gasser," "Fish Market," "Wild Driver," "Yard Dog," and "They Raided the Joint," each of which has a perceptible modernist edge. Pound for pound, Eldridge was one of the finest upper-range trumpet players jazz has ever produced, and this set has countless examples of his jet-propelled solos (check out his lightning-fast solos in the version of "St. Louis Blues" that is included here). Avid has released each of the discs from this set as single packages as well, entitled The Gasser (1935-1946), Wild Driver (1944-1950), and The Heat's On (1951-1952). ~ Steve Leggett

In his varied and colourful life, Teddy Wilson worked with innumerable great names of jazz. He came to fame in the small groups led by Benny Goodman and also through his remarkable series of recordings with the singer Billie Holiday. During the mid 1970's Wilson recorded and toured often in Europe and during these visits he was frequently teamed with the Dutch Swing College Band. The band's guitarist Arie Ligthart and Anglo-Dutch publicist and author Humphrey van Loo took the opportunity of these visits to work with Wilson on a full length autobiography which has lain unpublished during the years since Wilson's death in 1986. Teddy Wilson Talks Jazz is a candid account of Wilson's life and career, from his childhood through to his association with the critic and producer John Hammond, and on to his associations with Goodman, Holiday, his own bands and fellow pianists such as Earl Hines and Art Tatum.Highlights in ths very personal view of a life in music include recollections of Al Capone, his respect for jazz pioneers such as Jelly Roll Morton, his account of the organization behind Billie Holiday's recording career, his recordings with Lester Young and his 1962 trip to Russia as well as his insider's account of working with Benny Goodman. Teddy Wilson was one of the most significan jazz pianists of the swing era. He was a memner of Benny Goodman's small groups, made a series of immortal small group records accompanying Billie Holiday, and went on to a distinguished international career as a soloist and a band-leader. He died in 1986. Arie Lingthart was a guitarist with the Dutch Swing College Band for over twenty years, appearing on many sessions with the band's Americal guests including Billy Butterfield, Joe Ventui and Jimmy Witherspoon, as well as Teddy Wilson. Humphrey van Loo is an Anglo-Dutch writer, journalist and publicist.