Jazz Heritage: Jazz Greats of Our Time, Vol. 2

Manny Albam put out a steady stream of compelling progressive big-band LPs in the 1950s and 1960s, though few of them have been reissued on CD. These 1957 sessions feature numerous so-called West Coast jazz players on the date (Shelly Manne, Richie Kamuca, Conte Candoli, and Bill Holman, among others), though "Trumpeter X," actually Harry "Sweets" Edison, is a notable exception. Albam's charts are consistently challenging to the musicians and there are plenty of great solos, far too many to list individually. If Edison's identity isn't apparent from the liner notes and the song title "Sweet's-Bread," his two-chorus muted solo on that swinging track and the single chorus in his own "Jive at Five" will clear up any doubt. This long unavailable Coral LP will be extremely difficult to acquire. ~ Ken Dryden