Customer Reviews

Just a Few

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If you like Shorty Rogers, and like what he was doing in the 50's to blend his big band swing background (Woody Herman) with the laid back west coast sounds that were coming out of groups like the Mulligan/Baker quartet, here's some more. This is a good collection of early Shorty collaborations including some original compositions, blues and standards. While the personnel is varied, Shorty always played with the best and this collection includes a roster of first-rate sidemen including Harry "Sweets" Edison. Highly recommended but not Shorty's best (see "Courts the Count").

Here are some prime examples of 1950s west coast jazz from one of its best writers and some of its best musicians. This collection spans five years of recordings that include some old standards and several of Shorty's originals, rendered by groups ranging in size from five to nine players. A noteworthy novelty is that the tunes played by the largest groups are scored for french horn and tuba as well as the usual array of jazz instruments.
The 15 tracks fill the CD to capacity, but collectors of Shorty's recordings should carefully examine the track list for duplication of other releases. This is a good thing to do for any Shorty Rogers discs you're considering, because I've found quite a lot of duplication in the CDs on the market during the past few years. If you don't find too much duplication, or if this is your first exposure to Shorty's work, you'll find plenty to enjoy in this collection.