Earl Coleman was one of a coterie of fine African-American jazz and R&B crooners who came to the fore during the post-war era, and which included Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstine, Johnny Hartman, and later examples like Brook Benton. Unlike some of those artists, however, his career never quite scaled the heights that his talent promised or merited, although he made some excellent records with notable artists along the way.

This 2CD collection comprises as many of his recordings as Acrobat could amass – he was not a prolific recording artist, and some of his sides are hard to locate, and his work has not been very thoroughly compiled over the years. It features a significant proportion of his studio recordings during this era, both on singles for the Dial, Atlantic, Mercury, Jade and Prestige labels, and albums, including the titles from his album for the Prestige label Earl Coleman Returns and his performances with the Sonny Rollins Quartet for the Rollins’ album Tour De Force. Other notable bandleaders and musicians featured in the recordings are Miles Davis, Gene Ammons, Charlie Parker, Erroll Garner, Milt Jackson, Red Callender, Howard McGhee, Percy Heath, Kenny Clarke, Junior Mance, Linton Garner, Fats Navarro, Art Farmer, Gigi Gryce, Hank Jones, Oscar Pettiford, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach and other noted musicians.

The willingness of those stars to invite him to record with them underlines the respect in which he was held. It’s a collection which offers a rare showcase for a stylish performer who should have had much more success and recognition than he enjoyed over the years.

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