Jerry Jerome was a veteran of the orchestras of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, and Artie Shaw, but he was semi-retired and out of the limelight until producer Mat Domber arranged to record him. Like his earlier release for Arbors, Something Borrowed, Something Blue features one CD of vintage recordings from his personal collection and a second disc of new sessions; Jerome provides spoken introductions to the historic material. Joined by Tyree Glenn on vibes, he proves himself to be a capable clarinetist during "Stompin' at the Savoy," taken from a 1953 WPIX-TV aircheck. On tenor sax, he's heard with Yank Lawson, Bob Haggart, and Johnny Guarneri during a 1944 studio date; there's also a session from later that year with Charlie Shavers joining him. The most interesting selections are two 1939 live jam sessions with guitarist Charlie Christian, bassist Oscar Pettiford, and pianist Frankie Hines; although this material appeared on an LP, the sessions have greatly improved sound here. Jerome sticks to tenor sax during his octet date recorded in March 2001, not long before his 89th birthday. Joining him are fellow tenor saxophonist Tommy Newsom, pianist Dick Hyman, trombonist John Allred, trumpeter Lou Colombo, guitarist Bob Leary, bassist Frank Tate, and drummer Ed Metz Jr. The music comes across effortlessly, as the players clearly inspire one another during the pair of easygoing sessions it took to complete the date. Singer Lynn Roberts guests on several ballads, including a duet with the leader on the final track, "We Mustn't Say Goodbye," though the title proved sadly prophetic. Jerry Jerome died in November of the same year, a few weeks before this CD set was ready to be released. This very enjoyable music will serve as a strong introduction to Jerome for those not familiar with his earlier work in several historic big bands. ~ Ken Dryden