This single disc is a distillation of the Mosaic Complete Serge Chaloff Sessions, which featured virtually every session he ever led -- in the '40s -- and Jazz Factory should have titled it accordingly. (
Chaloff recorded with a number of small combos in the 1950s, including a band that included
Sonny Clark,
Philly Joe Jones, and
Leroy Vinnegar for his classic outing,
Blue Serge on Capitol.) These are 23 cuts recorded between 1946 and 1949, featuring the great baritone saxophonist in every setting from duets with pianist
Rollins Griffith to octet recordings made with
Red Rodney,
Curley Russell, and
George Wallington in the mix. The duets are no big deal, recorded probably after a piano lesson that
Griffith had with
Chaloff's mom. But the rest of the material here is from the dawn of bebop, and
Chaloff was an exciting and original voice on his instrument. Beginning with the first-ever recording of "Blue Serge" in 1946, the jets are on go and no matter who is in the band, from
Allen Eager to
Flip Phillips or
Oscar Pettiford,
Chaloff's scorched earth policy regarding the blues and tempo is singular. This is a cool set for the price, but seeking out the Mosaic set is a greater reward. ~ Thom Jurek