Vocalion can always be relied upon to seek out those albums that, with the passing of time, might otherwise have fallen through the cracks. This is no exception. Following on from Pete Rugolo's imaginative scoring for the Stan Kenton Orchestra, tenor man Bill Holman and trombonist Bill Russo's real skills were as composer/arrangers in that, during the 1950s, they fashioned what many believe was one of the most creative periods in Kenton's career.

Having relocated to Britain in 1962, Russo (now William) formed The London Jazz Orchestra for which he revised some of his Kenton charts as heard here and also found time to guide John Barry as he began to compose for the movies. Whether or not the LJO improve on the original versions probably remains on ongoing debate among the most fervent Kentonites. One thing is certain: the musicianship fielded by the home team (Duncan Lamont, Keith Christie, Johnny Scott etc) is first rate throughout.

A few years earlier, Kenny Baker's Dozen (and Half Dozen) was a mainstay of the local scene broadcasting regularly for the BBC with a popular radio show Let's Settle For Music (1952-1958). Though a world-class trumpet player for this expended version of his eclectic Dozen, Baker concentrates on his prowess as a composer/arranger and section player, only seizing centre stage for the final track, ‘Sunrise Serenade’.

While Ron Simmons, Art Ellefson, Johnny Scott and Ronnie Ross lend their talents to both projects, I feel that Kenny's energised effort – masterfully engineered by Joe Meek – just has the edge.