The first of two double-CD sets contains a healthy share of the recordings the clarinetist made with his final
Gramercy Five, a unit that included pianist
Hank Jones, either
Tal Farlow or
Joe Puma on guitar and usually
Joe Roland's vibes. Unlike his longtime competitor
Benny Goodman,
Shaw felt perfectly comfortable with younger modernists. In fact his own clarinet playing had evolved through the years and sometimes he hints strongly at
Buddy DeFranco without losing his own musical personality during these 20 performances. This is very rewarding music that makes one especially regret that
Artie Shaw chose to give up the clarinet after this band ran its course. ~ Scott Yanow
