It is a mystery to me why Johnny Hartman is still revered by some fans of vocal jazz. These 4-LPs- and-a-bit on 2 CDs proves ad nauseam that in any jazz setting his saccharine vocals [this review might prove rather controversial – Ed.] are capable of chucking a bucket of cold water over the proceedings. Indeed his ghastly vocal over Dizzy Gillespie’s Big Band on ‘I Should Care’ is even more nauseating. There’s a never a sense that Hartman empathises with (or sometimes, even understands) the words he is singing, such as in his quasi-operatic baritone on ‘That Old Black Magic’ which manages to neutralise the energy of Dizzy’s band.

The best material on these recordings is from the 1956 All of Me – The Debonair Mr. Hartman, where he fronts an all-star small band (plus occasional strings) arranged and directed by Ernie Wilkins and Frank Hunter. On these tracks, the solos by Lucky Thompson and Howard McGhee add jazz interest to some of the material, but again Hartman sucks all the energy out of the proceedings. Compared to Wilkins’ contemporaneous albums which he arranged for Big Joe Turner, you realize that they’re chalk and cheese, and Hartman has not a single jazz or blues bone in his body. If you’re in for two and half hours of musical torture, this (admittedly good value and comprehensive package) is for you.