best of Charlie Shavers

Best known for composing the standard “Undecided,” Charlie Shavers had a career that spanned several decades, but this set zeroes in on a delightful batch of early recordings from the ’30s and ’40s featuring the trumpeter in a variety of settings. Here we find Shavers working with Lucky Millinder, Johnny Dodds, John Kirby, Sidney Bechet, Buster Bailey, Coleman Hawkins, Teddy Wilson, Tommy Dorsey, and Jonah Jones. Regardless of the setting, the music is superb throughout, well annotated, and expertly picked. A marvelous introduction to this musical giant. – Cub Koda