| 2-CD Import. Recorded at Art Ford's Jazz Party, WNTA-TV, Newark, New Jersey on September 25 & October 16, 1958.
The artist listing is a bit misleading: Coleman Hawkins is at least as heavily featured in this collection as Shavers. It hardly matters, as both play excellently. The program alternates between show-piece numbers for one artist and lengthier jams offering a string of solos. These are air-shots: mono, not allways the best fidelity, but very listenable considering the source. The announcer's chatter is pared to the absolute minimum. The players sound energized and happy. By 1958, this style was endangered, and they seem to relish the chance to stretch out and prove their continuing relevance. Not every performance is a classic, but for those who love the artists based in the 1930s, this is a delightful, breezy, and somehow touching release. (Note for Lester Young fans: Prez appears on only two tracks and is in only moderate, late-career form.) |