Buck Clayton - The Essential (1977/2006)

Mainstream jazz may not have been the dominant form of jazz during the '50s but many of its exponents (including those heard on this excellent compilation) were very much in their prime. Three of the numbers here date from a session led by pianist Mel Powell that features trumpeter Buck Clayton and clarinetist Edmond Hall, eight come from a 1957 Buck Clayton septet (with trombonist Vic Dickenson and altoist Earle Warren), and three tunes come from a matchup between the trumpets of Buck Clayton and Ruby Braff (along with the tenor of Buddy Tate and trombonist Benny Morton). The consistently swinging music includes some Count Basie-associated tunes plus seven Clayton originals with fine solos from all of the principals. [Later reissues included only 14 of the 16 tracks heard on the original double-LP set.]