French label Saga Jazz is essentially a reissue house that specializes in compilations, mostly by single artists who have performed extensively in the country, from
Louis Armstrong and
Dexter Gordon to
Chet Baker,
Count Basie, and
Oscar Peterson. They also do various-artists collections, and this one is a fine example of the takeoff point for West Coast jazz as it became an international phenomenon. This single disc contains 21 prime selections by notables such as
Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars,
Art Pepper,
Bud Shank,
Herbie Harper,
Laurindo Almeida,
Frank Rosolino,
Shelly Manne,
Bill Holman,
Shorty Rogers, Lennie Neihaus,
Bob Cooper, and more. Some of the additional players on this set round out the entire package and make it a truly representative sampling of the best of the West Coast in the 1950s. The remastered sound is terrific since most of these sides were taken from actual master tapes, and the price point is extremely attractive. While not a standard academic introduction to the West Coast or "cool" sound of jazz, it is more than merely satisfying. ~ Thom Jurek