Ten 10" Albums I still play (occasionally). 5: Hot Versus Cool

There was this little shop which I'd frequent that sold second hand books and records. Sometimes the books were in plain brown wrappers and usually supplied, with a nod and a wink, from under the counter. Such shops are, I think, now long gone although no doubt flourishing on the internet via Amazon and eBay.

It was in this small shop that the proprietress said to me, "I've got something hot for you". she gave an enigmatic smile and my virginal teenage loins responded in anticipation. Was this a smuggled in copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover or maybe Hank Janson's latest?

No, it was, in retrospect, better than either - it was the above album.

Hot Versus Cool was, in theory, a battle of the bands. The boppers versus the Dixielanders blowing on the same numbers so, thus, we had the Cool Jazz Stars led by Buddy De Franco, Dizzy Gillespie and Don Elliott pitting their musical skills against the Hot Jazz Stars led by Jimmy McPartland and Edmond Hall.

Nobody won - it was score draws all the way. De Franco and Hall proved to be equal in their own stylistic way. McPartland didn't try to match Dizzy's technique but, wisely, adopted the less is more approach and didn't catch frostbite.

Don Elliott blew mellophone, Vic Dickenson was on trombone, Dick Cary and Ronnie Ball played piano with drummers George Wettling and Max Roach and bassists Al McKibbon and Jack Lesberg completing the line-ups.

How High the Moon, Indiana, Muscrat Ramble and Battle of the Blues were the test pieces and nobody failed.

A gimmick, I know, but it's well worth checking out and, these days, you don't need to go to a dirty bookshop!

Lance