A real rarity, this one, a collectors' item that goes far enough back into British modern-jazz history to defeat even the scholarly Simon Spillett. His lengthy notes shed much light on the period, yet he can only guess at the venue or recording date of this theatre concert. The personnel, however, is no problem since promoter Bix Curtis, whom I remember splitting MC shifts at the Flamingo with a younger incarnation of Jazzwise sage Tony Hall, announces all their names.

Clearly inspired by Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic stage shows, Curtis' all-star lineup features leading players ‘doing battle’ on a wide range of instruments, some of which, like Vic Ash's clarinet and Ken Wray's bass trumpet, would later fall out of fashion and disappear. There are fascinating glimpses of Tubby Hayes, not only battling a hot Jimmy Skidmore on tenor but also playing vibes on record for the first time. Trumpeters Shaw and Courtley, both Dizzy Gillespie disciples, also acquit themselves well as does drummer Bill Eyden, always the firmest of early UK bop drummers. The only jarring notes to post-bop ears are, perhaps bassist Lennie Bush's limited solo technique [unfortunately over-recorded too] and Dill Jones not only choosing ‘Viper’s Drag' as his piano feature but also throwing boogie-woogie breaks into it.