Not much remembered these days, Taylor was the direct predecessor of King Curtis, in terms of building a solo reputation after being a prolific session-man, who contributed memorable solos to hits by singer Big Joe Turner and others. His style fell somewhere between Ben Webster and Illinois Jacquet, as indeed did his birthdate, and his punchy phrasing combined with the frequent buzz and occasional honk set the gold standard for R&B tenor.

Leading off with a solitary 1949 single leading a small-group from the Cootie Williams band, this collection concentrates on sessions from the mid-1950s MGM label, where he was obviously viewed as a slightly funky mood-music specialist, playing relatively straight-ahead versions of standards, occasionally with choir or string-section.

Departures from this formula include a single where he sings (‘Blue Suede Shoes’, no less) and the closing five items from a more jazz-oriented set, one track of which finds him jousting with Budd Johnson.

A disappointment is the absence of what was in reality his first album for MGM, billed as Claude Cloud and his Thunderclaps, featuring the hit track ‘Cloudburst’ that inspired an early vocalese version by Jon Hendricks.