Louie Bellson: "Their Time Was The Greatest!"

Concord CCD-4683 (60 mins) Dial-a-track code: 1751

Bobby Lamb: "Trinity Fair" HEP CD 2064 (53 mins)

Dial-a-track code: 1861

Oscar Peterson: "Bursting Out"

Verve 529 699-2 (77 mins) Dial-a-track code: 1971

Last year, Louie Bellson put together a big band of California's finest for a salute to the great and good of jazz drumming. What emerged was not a drum drenched exhibition, but compulsively swinging performances with superb section work, excellent soloists and charts full of character. With players like the Candoli brothers, Snooky Young, Pete Christlieb and Bellson brilliant that was hardly surprising. The real triumph, however, is the work of the arrangers notably Tommy Newsom, whose antiphonal writing is strongly reminiscent of the great Bill Holman.

Comparable is Bobby Lamb's orchestra, superficially all the more surprising because it's a student band from Trinity College of Music, London, where Lamb has been director of jazz for IS years. But the charts are from the superior pen of Bob Florence and the student strength is critically augmented by three outstanding guest soloists in Kenny Wheeler, Mark Nightingale and Peter King. What impresses is the crisply disciplined section work at least as good as Britain's more famous National Youth Jazz Orchestra along with Florence's marvellous writing.

Oscar Peterson's late 1950s, early 1960s trio, with Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen, is also placed in a big band context for a reissue the Bursting Out with the All Star Big Band and Swinging Brass albums, combined on one CD. Both were beautifully balanced sessions, thanks to the arrangements of Ernie Wilkins on the first and Russell Garcia on the second. They succeed, too, because Peterson is such a powerful player and this was one of the finest integrated trios the pianist ever had, enabling them to feature almost as a single instrument, concerto like in effect if not in form.

Phil Woods: "Plays Jim McNeely"

TCB 95402 (63 mins)

Dial-a-track code: 2081

Jonny King: "Notes From The Underground"

Enja Enj-9067 2 (59 mins) Dial-a-track code: 2191

Slim Gaillard: "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere !"

HEP CD 2020 (41 mins) Dial-a-track code: 2301

Small groups as permanent as Phil Woods's are rare in jazz. More's the pity, since this latest from his quintet, Woods(alto), Brian Lynch (trumpet), Jim McNeely (piano), Steve, Gilmore (bass) and Bill Goodwin" (drums) is a classic post bop statement from one of the best ensembles in jazz. All the material was composed by McNeely, whose fresh kaleid scopic, richly varied and adventurous writing keeps everyone on their toes.

So too does pianist Jonny King's's quintet, albeit with a slightly more contemporary feel because of the presence of Joshua Redman (tenor), Steve Nelson (vibes), Peter Washington (bass) and Billy Drummond (drums). King, who wrote most of the material, has produced a coherent, well organised, personal blend of McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock. His is definitely the guiding force of the session, which dates from late last year, though the combination of sheer drive and musicality also comes from his colleagues in the rhythm section. Both King and Redman solo well, but Nelson is, if anything, the star his duet with King on the one standard, Lean To Me, is an exceptional album's highlight.

For the late Slim Gaillard the guitar was merely an excuse for a surreal vocalist, one of the funniest ever when he was on form. And on this 1982 London session with Buddy Tate, Jay McShann, Digby Fairweather et al, he is terrific. A happy date, swinging superlatively, with quality mainstream soloists, it's a pleasure from start to finish. And his gleeful verbal, dismantling of How High The Moon is a thing to treasure.