Hawkins led one of his finest bands in 1945, a sextet with the fiery trumpeter
Howard McGhee that fell somewhere between small-group swing and bebop. This CD contains all of that group's 12 recordings, including memorable versions of "Rifftide" and "Stuffy"; trombonist
Vic Dickenson guests on four tracks. This CD concludes with one of
Hawkins' rarest sessions, an Aladdin date from 1947 that finds the veteran tenor leading a septet that includes 20-year-old trumpeter
Miles Davis. ~ Scott Yanow