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Kenny Baker's Dozen 'Live' At The BBC February 1957
Kenny Baker's Dozen
Styles: Jazz
Catalogue Number: ADDCD3111
Kenny Baker was widely regarded as the best British jazz trumpeter and cornettist of the post-war era, making his name with the Ted Heath Band in the late ‘40s before starting his own group, Kenny Baker’s Dozen, during the ‘50s, consistently bringing together some of the top performers of the day in his line-ups. It was with this band that he performed on the first regular jazz programme to appear on BBC Radio’s Light Programme “Let’s Settle For Music”. This 2-CD set comprises two of those broadcasts, from February 1957, which were preserved on transcription discs, and which we believe have never previously been made commercially available. The line-up features a stellar array of top British jazz names of the time, notably Phil Seamen on drums, Bill le Sage on vibes, his long-time colleague George Chisholm on trombone along with Keith Christie and Ken Wray, bass saxist Harry Klein, Harry Hayes on alto sax, Derek Smith on piano, Lennie Bush on bass and others. They appear here in very much a more mainstream swing and big-band oriented setting than the small group modern jazz metier with which we might normally associate them. It’s a fine addition to our expanding catalogue of top quality British post-war jazz, which will be snapped up by collectors both for its quality and rarity. |