It would be truer to say that this is two classic albums, with a pair of additional records of wildly different character attached to its coat-tails, and (unusually for Avid) some rather deficient liner-note details.

By far the odder of these old LPs is a jam session at the 132nd Street New York bar that for a short while bore the name of Count Basie's Club. Joe Williams sings as immaculately as ever amid a somewhat chaotic accompaniment with Harlem veteran pianist Bobby Henderson competing with organist Marlowe Morris for chordal honours.

Basie himself adds gratuitous narration to some tracks along with guest presenter Leonard Feather. Some lusty soloing from Vic Dickenson and Emmett Berry can't quite escape the feeling that this shows none of the participants at their best. Then there's a set with full symphony orchestra arranged by Jimmy Mundy, with Williams attempting a Sinatra-style approach to ballads, aided and abetted here and there by buckets of reverb.

All is forgiven, however, with the second CD in the set, which combines Williams’ two marvellous albums with the full Basie band, Every Day I Have The Blues and Just the Blues. If ever there were an object lesson in blues singing with a big band it is Big Bill Broonzy's ‘Mean Old World’ in which the band's dynamics and Williams’ peerless diction combine to sheer perfection. According to Chris Sheridan's Basie bio-discography this almost five-minute version was not initially issued, in favour of a cut-down version, but here it is in all its glory!