Released for the first time in 1988, the music on this set is taken from a 1951 Jazz at the Philharmonic concert held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The septet is very different from the usual
Norman Granz gang, consisting of trumpeter
Joe Newman, trombonist
Bennie Green,
Eddie Lockjaw Davis on tenor, pianist
Bobby Tucker, bassist
Tommy Potter, drummer
Kenny Clarke and the main solo star, altoist
Sonny Criss. The five songs (four standards and a jump tune) are fairly typical for
JATP (highlighted by lengthy versions of "How High the Moon" and "Perdido") and the recording quality is listenable but not pristine. However
Criss' passionate playing (and that of the other musicians) makes this release of interest to collectors of historic straightahead jazz. ~ Scott Yanow