A great set from Maynard Ferguson's "Dream Band " – a small orchestra that featured Herb Geller, Richie Kamuca, Mel Lewis, Paul Moer, and Nino Tempo – and which was a perfect vehicle for Ferguson's hard-swinging approach to jazz. There's some slight Kenton touches here – in the shift between larger ensemble tones and breakaway solos – and given the strength of some of the horn players in the group, the latter part are especially nice! CD

A great big band indeed – a session from 1960 that has Bill Holman still sitting nicely at the top of the west coast large group format from the 50s! As with previous dates of this nature, Holman's got a way around the charts that few can match – a way of swinging the whole ensemble strongly, yet never in ways that are cloying, commercial, or cliched. All the right players find a space for expression – and the lineup includes Richie Kamuca and Bill Perkins on tenor sax, Frank Rosolino on trombone, and Conte Candoli on trumpet – all players who really sparkle nicely when they step out from the larger group. Titles include "Stereoso", "Shadrack", "Quickstep", "Aura", "The Moon Is Blue", "June Is Busting Out All Over", and "Spinuet". LP, Vinyl record album

A full package of work from the mighty Bill Holman – 2CDs worth of music – including three full albums plus bonus tracks! First up is material from the 1957 Coral album The Fabulous Bill Holman – a record that's got a maturity of expression that pushes Holman way past his Kenton years! The tracks are all larger ensemble ones, arranged and partially written by Bill, and played by the group in a broad chromatic style that's very nice – certainly Kenton-esque, but with a style that's somehow a bit more personal. Players include Charlie Mariano, Herb Geller, Richie Kamuca, Conte Cantoli, Stu Williamson, and Holman himself – and titles include "Evil Eyes", "You & I", "Bright Eyes", and the extended "The Big Street" – a great 17 minute tune! Next Is In A Jazz Orbit – a set that has Holman in a great mode that bridges the large group styles of the swing years and the changes in big band sounds that would take place in the 60s – and he's almost prefacing the style of the Clarke Boland Big Band by writing charts here that pack a real punch on the ensemble passages, yet which also rely very strongly on breakaway horn solos to tear up the tunes! The strength of the players is a key factor in the success of the album – as soloists include Frank Rosolino, Jack Sheldon, Herb Geller, Richie Kamuca, and Holman himself – on titles that include "Kissin Bug", "You Go To My Head", "Far Down Below", "Aura", "Theme & Variation #2", and "No Heat". Bill Holman's Great Big Band is a session from 1960 that has Bill Holman still sitting nicely at the top of the west coast large group format from the 50s! As with previous dates of this nature, Holman's got a way around the charts that few can match – a way of swinging the whole ensemble strongly, yet never in ways that are cloying, commercial, or cliched. All the right players find a space for expression – and the lineup includes Richie Kamuca and Bill Perkins on tenor sax, Frank Rosolino on trombone, and Conte Candoli on trumpet – all players who really sparkle nicely when they step out from the larger group. Titles include "Stereoso", "Shadrack", "Quickstep", "Aura", "The Moon Is Blue", "June Is Busting Out All Over", and "Spinuet". CD features 10 more bonus tracks – tunes from Holman's Kenton Presents sessions for Capitol in 1954 – octet material done with Don Fagerquist, Bob Eneveldsen, and Stu Williamson providing full brass support on trumpet and trombones – while Holman, Herb Geller, and Bob Gordon cut some broader lines themselves on saxes. Tunes are all great originals by Holman – extremely inventive in both melody and structure – with titles that include "Sparkle", "Tanglefoot", "Song Without Words", "Cousin Jack", "Back To Minors", and "Jughaid". CD

A wonderful showcase for the arranging talents of Bill Holman – one that steps off with a more straightforward and swinging style than some of his work of the time for the Stan Kenton group! Holman here is in a great mode that bridges the large group styles of the swing years and the changes in big band sounds that would take place in the 60s – and he's almost prefacing the style of the Clarke Boland Big Band by writing charts here that pack a real punch on the ensemble passages, yet which also rely very strongly on breakaway horn solos to tear up the tunes! The strength of the players is a key factor in the success of the album – as soloists include Frank Rosolino, Jack Sheldon, Herb Geller, Richie Kamuca, and Holman himself – on titles that include "Kissin Bug", "You Go To My Head", "Far Down Below", "Aura", "Theme & Variation #2", and "No Heat". CD

A gem of a set from drummer Stan Levey – one that features some incredible tenor work from Richie Kamuca! The album's got a relaxed feel that's different than a lot of Stan's other sets – not nearly so tightly arranged as before, and with room for Kamuca to open up on tenor in that magnificent tone of his, with some additional strong work in the frontline from trumpeter Conte Candoli – and some inventive piano work from Lou Levy, who manages to give the record a real sense of depth with his phrasing. Levey's leadership is wonderful on the set – very much in the background, but with a warmth that's clear in the playing of all the members of the group – and a clear inspiration to make the record more than just another "players you know from larger groups heard in a quickly done small group session". Tracks are longish, and titles include 2 great Kamuca originals – "Stan Still" and "One For Joan" – plus "Ole Man Rebop", "What Can I Say", and "Old Folks". CD

Gus Mancuso was a 50s instrumentalist who made a brief but strong flash on the modern scene – playing one of the most unlikely jazz instruments ever, a euphonium, which he handled with surprising dexterity and grace, creating a bass-heavy sound that was not unlike some of the work done on baritone during the decade. This 18 track CD features tunes from two of Mancuso's earliest (and only) albums as a leader – Introducing Gus Mancuso and Music From New Faces. The first set features Mancuso blowing hard in a group with Cal Tjader, Richie Kamuca, Eddie Duran, and Vince Guaraldi – and the second set features him working through titles from the show New Faces. Tracks include "The Ruble & The Yen", "Brother Anitz", "Ev'ry Time", "How Do You Like Your Eggs In The Morning?", "A Hatful Of Dandruff", and "Scratch My Back". CD

An incredible record from Shelly Manne – one of his only dates recorded at The Manne Hole, even though it was his own club – and a killer live recording that was issued in a rare 2LP format for the time! The style here is similar to Manne's excellent recordings at the Blackhawk – open-ended, stretched out, and more freely expressive hardbop than on his 50s sides – played by a group that features plenty of excellent tenor from the great Richie Kamuca, plus trumpet from Conte Cantoli, piano from Russ Freeman, bass from Chuck Berghofer, and drums from Manne himself. As with the Blackhawk date, many of the tunes are familiar, but open up mostly as longer solo vehicles – completely transformed by the efforts of the group and their freewheeling lines. Titles on this second volume include "Love For Sale", "The Champ", "How Could It Happy To A Dream", and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise". CD

A stunning hardbop set from drummer Shelly Manne – a player most folks associate with more arranged jazz, or cooler modes of the LA scene of the 50s – but a player who was already starting to open up and forge new roads by the end of that decade! Shelly became a surprising proponent of hardbop modes with a few key records like this – and the live setting has Manne leading a great group with really searing solo work that's very different than west coast cool jazz modes normally associated with both the drummer and the Contemporary label! The album features key work from trumpeter Joe Gordon – stunning work, recorded in the years before his too-soon death – and tenorist Richie Kamuca really opens up too – in a combo that also has Victor Feldman on piano and Monty Budwig on bass – going through very long tunes that are filled with extended solo space. Tracks on this fourth volume include "Cabu", "Just Squeeze Me", and "Nightingale". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning hardbop set from drummer Shelly Manne – a player most folks associate with more arranged jazz, or cooler modes of the LA scene of the 50s – but a player who was already starting to open up and forge new roads by the end of that decade! Shelly became a surprising proponent of hardbop modes with a few key records like this – and the live setting has Manne leading a great group with really searing solo work that's very different than west coast cool jazz modes normally associated with both the drummer and the Contemporary label! The album features key work from trumpeter Joe Gordon – stunning work, recorded in the years before his too-soon death – and tenorist Richie Kamuca really opens up too – in a combo that also has Victor Feldman on piano and Monty Budwig on bass – going through very long tunes that are filled with extended solo space. Tracks on this fourth volume include "Cabu", "Just Squeeze Me", and "Nightingale". CD

A great little jazz record by Gary – very different than his groovy/easy albums on Verve, and with a dark sound that shows his strength as a composer and arranger. The group features McFarland in the lead on vibes, plus reed work by Phil Woods, Zoot Sims, and Richie Kamuca, and lots of rhythm backing by the likes of Richard Davis, Gabor Szabo, Sam Brown, and others. Willis Conover does a bit of narration, and tracks include "Sage Hands", "Milo's Other Samba", "Winter Colors", and "Bygones & Boogie". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best albums on the rare Mode label – and a great quintet side by trombonist Frank Rosolino! The group here features Vince Guaraldi on piano, Richie Kamuca on tenor, Monty Budwig on bass, and Stan Levy on drums – and the sound's a lot harder than you'd expect from the combo. Guraldi's especially rough-edged – with a soulful sound that's quite different than his 60s recordings, one that sounds great next to Rosolino's horn. Titles include "Tuffy", "Fine Shape", "Cherry", "Let's Make It", "Fallout", "Thou Swell", "How Long Has This Been Going On" and "They Say". CD

Zoot Sims returns to the Half Note Cafe for this great live session – the site of an earlier date for United Artists in the late 50s, re-explored here with a whole new sense of energy! As with the earlier UA session, Zoot's playing here in the company of tenorist Al Cohn – both of them stretching out nicely on the album's longer tracks – matching lines on the heads, then stating solos on tenor voices that were diverging a bit more in the mid 60s than they were on more famous recordings from years past. The rest of the group features Roger Kellaway on piano, Bill Crow on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums – and titles include "It's Noteworthy", "Doodle Oodle", "Red Door", "Saratoga Hutch", and "Let's Dream". CD also adds 3 bonus tracks from additional 1965 sessions at the Half Note – featuring Sims, Cohn, and Richie Kamuca on longer tracks, one of which includes some guest vocals from Jimmy Rushing. Titles include "Tickle Toe", "Broadway", and "I Can't Believe You're In Love With Me". CD

An interesting concept record, with Konitz approaching a variety of material, much of it written by his collaborators, in wide open duet settings. Players include Jim Hall, Joe Henderson, Elvin Jones and Richie Kamuca, and on each piece, both Konitz and his companion have loads of room to extrapolate on the base composition. Perhaps the highlight of the record is to be able to listen to Konitz wrap his warm tone around each piece, and then dance lightly around the melody. 8 numbers, including "Erb" with Jim Hall, "Checkerboard" with Dick Katz, and "You Don't Know What Love Is" with Joe Henderson. CD

Wonderful TV soundtrack work from Skip Martin – who's really giving Henry Mancini a run for his money in the crime jazz department! Martin's score for the Mike Hammer show here is totally great – penned with a range of styles that run from swinging to sentimental – all handled by a top-shelf crew of west coast jazz players that includes Ted Nash on flute and alto, Richie Kamuca on tenor, Frank Rosolino on trombone, Bud Shank on alto, Don Fagerquist and Pete Candoli on trumpet, and Pete Jolly on piano. Titles include "Bad Guys", "Coffee House", "Like Mike", "Summer Mood", "Corn Pone Woman", and "Riff Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from Howard Rumsey's early Lighthouse group – and a great example of why they were such a great act at the time! The "solo spotlight" in the title is extremely apt here – as each of the album's tracks features a standout performance by group members who emerge from the larger ensemble beautifully – all players who were in the larger backings on other numbers, but who really sparkle brilliantly on their solos. Soloists include Frank Rosolino on trombone, Richie Kamuca on tenor, Stan Levey on drums, Conte Candoli on trumpet, Bob Enevoldsen on valve trombone, Bob Cooper on tenor, and Bud Shank on alto. Titles are all plenty fresh originals – and include "Funny Frank", "Claude", "Coop", "Stan", "S&B", and "Bud". LP, Vinyl record album