Masters of Jazz in Bloomington, MN

Earl Hines
was one of the most subtle and innovative piano players in the whole history of
jazz
, and this compilation from
Storyville Records
catches him in three different phases in the latter stages of his long career. Included are sessions from the Hangover Club in San Francisco from 1954, a Denmark session from 1965 featuring
Hines
doing a medley of his own compositions, and a studio session done in New York in 1974 that spotlights
doing various
Harold Arlen
pieces. Since it doesn't include any of his earlier work, this isn't exactly the best introduction to
, but all of it is pretty impressive, making this set a nice second-line purchase. ~ Steve Leggett