The
classical
label
Delos
ventured into
jazz
for a few years in the late '80s and early '90s, putting out this compilation to give listeners a wide-ranging sampling of what it had to offer.
Joe Williams
' delightful
blues
"Who She Do"
features alto saxophonist
Cleanhead Vinson
, guitarist
Phil Upchurch
, and the leader's swinging, humorous vocal. Trumpet great
Clark Terry
offers cooking
bop
in
"The Snapper"
and doubles on trumpet and fluegelhorn while he trades licks with alto saxophonist
Bunky Green
and tenor saxophonist
Red Holloway
in a brilliant take of the ballad
"Don't Blame Me."
The always powerful
hard bop
of
Art Blakey
is represented by young alto saxophonist
Kenny Garrett
's
"Feeling Good."
Also not to be missed is the father-daughter team of
Jimmy & Stacy Rowles
for a Latin-flavored take of
"You Don't Know What Love Is."
Sadly,
unwisely chose to discontinue its line of
CDs not long after this collection was released in 1991, though the individual releases from which it was put together are all worth picking up, as is this now hard-to-find sampler. ~ Ken Dryden