As the Classics Chronological Series works its way into the early and mid-'50s, the magnitude of producer Norman Granz's achievement becomes increasingly apparent. Some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time -- Oscar Peterson, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Johnny Hodges, Lester Young -- were signed by Granz at a time when many Afro-American jazz musicians were struggling to get steady work, and jazz in general was beginning to take a back seat to pop vocals, R&B and rock & roll. Drummer and bandleader Buddy Rich had only just begun to lead a big band when the post-WWII restructuring of the entertainment industry edged him out (see Volume one in Rich's complete chronological recordings, 1946-1948 [Classics 1099]). He was able to continue making records by working with smaller groups, oftentimes at recording sessions supervised by Norman Granz. As the mastermind behind Jazz at the Philharmonic, Granz was adept at documenting live jam sessions. Fortunately the recording equipment was plugged in and running when Buddy Rich, Ray Brown and Hank Jones cooked up a frantic seven-minute version of "Air Mail Special" in front of a rowdy audience at Carnegie Hall on September 16, 1950. This explosive jam, which consists mainly of an extended crowd-pleasing drum solo, serves as a fiery prologue to the first of the Buddy Rich/Norman Granz studio sessions, all of which resulted in collectively swung jazz of the highest order. Granz had a knack for bringing together uncommonly gifted musicians, and Rich was very lucky to find himself recording with pianist Oscar Peterson and guitarist Herb Ellis; with trumpeters Harry "Sweets" Edison, Thad Jones and Joe Newman; and with saxophonists Benny Carter, Georgie Auld, Willie Smith, Ben Webster and Frank Wess. Buddy Rich is also heard exercising his tonsils. Sometimes compared with Frank Sinatra (his rival for the attentions of vocalist Edythe Wright during the Dorsey days), Rich was capable of crooning with convincing suavity, as could Woody Herman. Aside from his quasi-hip vocal on the novelty titled "Bongo, Bass and Guitar," this compilation contains four tracks with Rich standing away from the drums (Louie Bellson was brought in to man the kit) and concentrating upon the art of emitting songs through the mouth, accompanied by a small jazz combo sweetly augmented with strings under the direction of Howard Gibeling. Much more in line with Buddy Rich's regular modus operandi, this segment of his chronology concludes with two extended instrumental jams, each exceeding ten minutes in duration, recorded in New York on May 16, 1955. Arrogant, selfish, cruel and egotistical to the point of megalomania, Buddy Rich was an able percussionist capable of generating a lot of excitement with his drums and cymbals; he could drive an ensemble with plenty of steam, but most of his showy extended solos, which rely a lot on convulsive bouts of press rolling and restless parade ground paradiddling, lack the substance, depth and organic coherence of expanded improvisations created by Art Blakey, Max Roach and Elvin Jones. To call Buddy Rich the world's greatest drummer is just blarney. The person who made that claim most often was Buddy Rich himself. arwulf arwulf 
This live set features tenor great Ben Webster playing with pianist Jimmy Rowles, guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Red Mitchell, and drummer Frank Butler in a club, and the music is consistently wonderful. Whether showing warmth and sentimentality on "Georgia on My Mind" and "Stardust" or growling and roaring on "Caravan" and "Ole Miss Blues," Webster (who was then somewhat taken for granted) is in superior and creative form. Recommended. Scott Yanow
