The Best of Shelly Manne (2004)

About this title: This compilation samples 11 of drummer Shelly Manne's albums recorded for Contemporary between 1953 and 1961 while utilizing a wide range of musicians. The free jazz opener "Flip" (no doubt dedicated to his wife by her nickname) is an intriguing trio with Shorty Rogers on muted trumpet and clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre. The low-key trio interpretation of Oscar Pettiford's "Collard Greens and Black-Eyed Peas" (also known as "Blues in the Closet") features Leroy Vinnegar's walking bass and André Previn's surprising piano backed by the leader's subtle brushwork. John Williams wrote the breezy ... read more

Tracks:

1. Flip [Manne]
2. Collard Greens and Black-Eyed Peas [Pettiford]
3. Etude de Concert [Montrose]
4. Doxy [Rollins]
5. La Mucura [Traditional]
6. Checkmate [Williams]
7. Afrodesia [Rogers]
8. Moose the Mooche [Parker]
9. Muchacha [Comden/Green/Styne]
10. Peter Gunn [Mancini]
11. The Sound Effects Manne [Freeman]
12. Poinciana [Simon/Bernier/Lliso]
13. A Gem From Tiffany [Holman]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.