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Great early west coast jazz! This album puts together 2 different sessions both recorded by Gene Norman in the early 50s. One features Shorty Rogers heading up a great group with Art Pepper and Jimmy Giuffre – on the tracks "Four Mothers", "Didi", "Sam & The Lady", and "Popo". The other features classic cool Gerry Mulligan material – played by a tentet with Chet Baker, Bud Shank, and Bob Enevoldsen. Titles on that one include "Westwood Walk", "Simbah", "Walking Shoes", and "Rocker".

A great little album from Shorty – and not that easy to find, either! The title gives away the concept – as all tracks are in a jazz waltz format, which means that they swing very nicely, often with a groove that hints at big band modal work that would show up on labels like MPS. The instrumentation includes interweaving lines on flute, tenor, and some cool vibes by Emil Richards – and the approach throughout is tightly swinging, and never hokey! Titles include "Be As Children", "Walk On The Wild Side", "Jazz Waltz", "Terrence's Farewell", and "A Taste Of Honey".

A great little album from Shorty – and not that easy to find, either! The title gives away the concept – as all tracks are in a jazz waltz format, which means that they swing very nicely, often with a groove that hints at big band modal work that would show up on labels like MPS. The instrumentation includes interweaving lines on flute, tenor, and some cool vibes by Emil Richards – and the approach throughout is tightly swinging, and never hokey! Titles include "Be As Children", "Walk On The Wild Side", "Jazz Waltz", "Terrence's Farewell", and "A Taste Of Honey".

With a photo like that on the cover, we've gotta say that we did Pat Dahl too! The set's a relatively obscure little vocal album, cut by a singer we've never heard of otherwise – with a sexy 60s image that either meant that she had a successful live career in small clubs, or was somebody's secret girlfriend! But despite that fact, the music is actually pretty great too – just the right sort of slinky approach to jazz that you might expect – and served up here with a surprisingly top-shelf batch of arrangements – supposedly penned only for the session by Pete Rugolo, Marty Paich, Shorty Rogers, and Benny Carter! Backings are lively, and jazzy, and titles include "Ten Cents A Dance", "Show Me", "Lonely Woman", "Someone To Watch Over Me", and "I'm In Love With the Honorable Mr So & So".

Very nice record of lost soul from LA, recorded for Hanna-Barbera, who are much better known as purveyors of cartoons, not music! We don't know much about Jean, but she's got a lovely voice, and the setup for the record – which is an intimate live setting – gives her perfect space to groove around a lot. She's backed by a tiny combo that has Pete Jolly on piano, Howard Roberts on guitar, Hal Blaine on drums, and Emil Richards on percussion. Shorty Rogers and Gene Page did the arrangements, and they did a nice job coming up with tight jazzy backings that have a bit of an uptown sound, but which sound a lot harder because of the live setting. Great stuff, and a record we almost never see! Tracks include "All I Really Want To Do", "Just My Style", "England Swings", "Watermelon Man", and "I Got You".

A late date for Brit bandleader Vic Lewis – but a great one too, thanks to a strong focus on the bossa nova sounds of the 60s! The mode's a real change for Lewis, who could sometimes be a bit stiff – and the new groove definitely opens things up nicely – as does the album's work from a top-shelf of jazz soloists, both British and American! Side one has Lewis leading a combo that features a stellar lineup – tenor and flute from Tubby Hayes, more tenor from Ronnie Scott, trumpet from Jimmy Deuchar, flugelhorn from Shake Keane, and piano from Terry Shannon – all players who get plenty of chance to solo, and really make the music magical with just a few subtle touches. The flipside features Lewis leading a group of West Coast luminaries – Bud Shank on tenor and flute, Bob Cooper on tenor, Jack Sheldon on trumpet, Shorty Rogers on flugelhorn, and Victor Feldman both on piano and vibes. The groove is just as great as on the first side – and the whole thing's a real standout for Brit jazz at the time. Titles include "Bossa Nova Scotia", "Bossa Nova Blues", "Two Note Samba", "Last Minute Bossa Nova", "Danielle", and "Vic's Tune".

A 12" LP that brings together 2 different earlier 10" sessions by Manne – groundbreaking work in a freer mode than most of what was going on in LA during the mid 50s! Side one features material from The Three – a 10" session that featured Manne on drums, Shorty Rogers on trumpet, and Jimmy Giuffre on tenor, clarinet, and baritone. The trio work their way – bass and piano-less – through tunes that include "Pas De Trois", "Flip", "Abstract No 1", and "Steeplechase". Side two features material from The Two – an even freer session, with Manne on drums and Russ Freeman on piano – no other accompaniment, and sounding quite revolutionary for the time! Titles include "Billie's Bounce", "The Sound Effects Manne", "Everything Happens To Me", and "Speak Easy".

Very groovy! The record's a hip batch of jazzy tracks played by the great Howard Roberts, caught here at the height of his 60s groovy bossa style, and playing with his regular combo plus backing by a larger group of horns. Jack Marshall and Shorty Rogers helped Howard with the arrangements, and the record has that groovy LA jazz sound that graced the best of the Capitol sides of the time. Charles Kynard gets in some nice organ, Howard plays a nicely-toned Epiphone, and titles include "Bluesette", "The Lonesome Cowboy", "Charade", "Maniac", and "Recado Bossa Nova".

An incredibly groovy album – filled with instrumental tracks that shift between funky big band and groovy 60s soundtrack – all arranged by Mike Nesmith and Shorty Rogers! The feel here is like that of some of Rogers' other groovy late 60s instrumental one-off albums – like his hot rod, dune buggy, or surf-orchestra sides – and Nesmith brings in a slightly cynical tone that manifests itself in the choice of some of the instrumentation for the tracks, and the overall setting of the record. Think Monkees instrumentals gone groovier, and you've got part of the picture – but there's also plenty of snippets of Sunset Strip hip and Warner Brothers longing for the past too! Titles include "While I Cried", "Don't Cry Now", "Tapioca Tundra", "Nine Times Blue", "Carlisle Wheeling", and "You Told Me".