The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD thought the headlining session, heard here, one where each man “seem[s] to be vying to see who could sound, first, more nasty and, second, more charming.” Indeed, 1957's Coleman Hawkins encounters Ben Webster (its original Verve title) is a classic of its kind, not so much a fisticuffs as a respectful rumble between the two great masculine saxmen of their generation. Most serious jazz fans will already own the album, but for those who may not have heard either tenor titan before, this reissue makes a very handy introduction. As usual with these Andorran imprints though, there's a certain amount of questionable marketing ‘spin’ added to the release. For starters, there's a cover image lifted from a non-US issue of the original LP. Then there are also some randomly selected ‘bonus’ tracks recorded for Hawk and Ben's solo albums, The Genius of... and Soulville respectively, taped that same week. The music, of course, is a thing of beauty and I defy even the stoniest-hearted of jazz fans not to melt at the lovely ‘La Rosita’. The ‘extra’ material gives perhaps a better idea of both Webster and Hawkins' respective approaches, the former all sensuality and smooch on things like ‘Where Are You?’, while Hawk takes apart ‘My Melancholy Baby’ with that mix of tonal warmth and incisive phrasing that characterised his work at this juncture. Indispensable music, of course, but then you didn't need me to tell you that, did you?