As there are far too few Garvin Bushell recordings as a leader in our world, this previously unissued studio session is more than merely welcome. Well documented as a sideman, with many big bands, as well as modernists John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Eric Dolphy, Bushell's clarinet is widely regarded as the missing link between Sidney Bechet and Benny Goodman. These dates, done in Alameda, CA circa 1982, feature Bushell under the guidance and encouragement of friend and soprano saxophonist Richard Hadlock, who organized the date. It's a refreshing and comprehensive overview of vintage jazz from many big name sources, lovingly played by this Bay Area group and their main man. The symmetry between Bushell's vibrato toned clarinet and the piquant, tart soprano of Hadlock is a thing of beauty, meshing in high octave harmonic convergence. The Django Reinhardt/Stéphane Grappelli/Hot Club of France evergreen Sweet Chorus swings easily, as bundled trills and bop type lines extend the swing aspect of this classic vintage tune. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You has Hadlock leading out while Bushell plays bassoon underneath, while Bechet's Si Tu Vois Ma Mere is a solemn, melancholy deep blues. The band jumps up during I Want to Be Happy, a spirited version based in fun and good times, as Bushell's wooden horn offers a lithe counter melody against the soprano and cornetist Leon Oakley. Pianist Ray Skjelbred lays it out thick and clean, filling space and adding his own hefty voicings on the two-part, simple jam Blues for the Twentieth Century. A delightful take on I Never Knew from Cab Calloway's repertoire is quite similar to Lady Be Good in its makeup, a quintessential swing number played to priceless proportions by this fine group. The Ivie Anderson influenced singer Barbara Lashley appears on three tracks, featuring her literate and broad voice for the Eubie Blake chestnut Memories of You, the light shuffle Willow Tree prodded by drummer John Markham's brush work, borrowed from the Fats Waller songbook, and a slowed, dour I Got It Bad with her somewhat operatic sound ringing out in hope for better days ahead. Bushell was 81 years old at the time of this recording, ten years before his passing, and sounding as energetic as a man half his age. He was a true original in the annals of early period and modern jazz, so this long-awaited document from an undisputed master should be loved by millions, and treated as the most precious of historical items. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi

1		Sweet Chorus
2		Memories of You
3		Blues For The Twentieth Century - Part 1
4		Blues For The Twentieth Century - Part 2
5		I Never Knew
6		Willow Tree
7		I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
8		I Got It Bad
9		My Daddy Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll)
10		I Want To Be Happy
11		Si Tu Vois Ma Mere (I Remember When)