Most of the music reissued on this Music Masters CD has been out many times before. There are four titles from clarinetist
Artie Shaw's 1945 big band (which include a couple of solos from the fiery trumpeter
Roy Eldridge) and 14 songs recorded with studio orchestras in 1946. Of the latter, several feature the vocals of
Mel Tormé and his
Mel-Tones including a minor hit version of "What Is This Thing Called Love." Most of the arrangements from these dates (which were originally issued by Musicraft) are closer to dance music than jazz and the string sections play pretty rather than swing.
Shaw has a few fine moments but the results are not too essential. The final number is a leftover from
Shaw's other Music Master CDs, a rendition of "Sunny Side Up" by his 1954 Gramercy Five, the group that the clarinetist led just prior to retiring permanently from music.