If you like the sound of relaxed, tube-mastered jazz — and what red-blooded audiophile doesn’t — you can’t do much better than Jack Sheldon And His All-Star Band. The warmth and immediacy of the sound here are guaranteed to blow practically any Big Band record you own right out of the water.

This is a wonderful example of the kind of record that makes record collecting FUN.

If you large group swinging West Coast Jazz is your thing — think Art Pepper Plus Eleven — you should get a big kick out of this one.

Both sides of this very special pressing are huge, rich, tubey and clear. As soon as the band got going we knew that this was absolutely the right sound for this music. There was practically nothing that could beat it, in any area of reproduction.

Amazing Tubey Magic

For us audiophiles both the sound and the music here are enchanting. If you’re looking to demonstrate just how good 1958-9 All Tube Analog sound can be, this killer copy should be just the record for you.

This copy is spacious, sweet and positively dripping with ambience. Talk about Tubey Magic, the liquidity of the sound here is positively uncanny. This is vintage analog at its best, so full-bodied and relaxed you’ll wonder how it ever came to be that anyone seriously contemplated trying to improve it.

This is the sound of Tubey Magic. No recordings will ever be made like this again, and no CD will ever capture what is in the grooves of this record. There is of course a CD of the album, but those of us in possession of a working turntable could care less.

Top West Coast Players

Alto Saxophone – Art Pepper (tracks: B1 to B5)
Alto Saxophone – Herb Geller (tracks: B1 to B5)
Alto Saxophone – Lennie Niehaus (tracks: A1 to A5)
Baritone Saxophone – Billy Root (tracks: A1 to A5)
Bass – Buddy Clark
Drums – Mel Lewis
French Horn – Vince De Rosa (tracks: 1 to 5)
Piano – Pete Jolly (tracks: A1 to A5)
Tenor Saxophone – Harold Land (tracks: B1 to B5)
Trumpet – Chet Baker (tracks: B1 to B5)
Trumpet – Conte Candoli (tracks: A1 to A5)
Trumpet – Jack Sheldon
Tuba – Red Callender (tracks: A1 to A5)
Valve Trombone – Stu Williamson

TRACK LISTING

Side One

Green Dolphin Street
I’m Also A Person
I Had The Craziest Dream
Arrividerci
Brown Cow

Side Two

Anyhow
Julie Is Her Name
Aplomb
Sunset Eyes
J.S.

AMG 4 Star Review

Although the liner notes to this album state that these two sessions were Jack Sheldon’s first as a leader, he actually led two full sets for Jazz West during 1954 and 1956, plus three titles for Pacific Jazz in ’55. However, this was the initial album to gain wide recognition and helped to introduce the L.A.-based trumpeter’s talents to the East Coast.

Five selections feature Sheldon with a ten-piece band arranged by Lennie Niehaus and some have spots for valve trombonist Stu Williamson, pianist Pete Jolly and baritonist Billy Root. The later session features the writing of Paul Moer and such fine soloists as trumpeter Chet Baker (in a rare sideman outing for another trumpeter), altoists Art Pepper and Herb Geller, tenorman Harold Land and valve trombonist Williamson.

High-quality and consistently swinging West Coast jazz.