Show - Shorty Rogers and His Giants 1951, 53, 55

The trumpeter/composer/arranger Shorty Rogers did much work for Woody Herman and Stan Kenton in the 1940's - the 1950's found him working in the studios around Los Angeles, playing with the Lighthouse All-Stars on Hermosa Beach and leading record date.  These feature an eight or nine piece band in the style if not the sound of Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool sessions.   With Rogers, Milt Bernhardt on trombone, Art Pepper or Bud Shank on alto, Jimmy Giuffre on baritone and tenor, Hampton Hawes on piano, Shelly Manne on drums and John Graas on french horn, the solo contributions are every bit as good as the arrangements.