Search - Roy Eldridge;Coleman Hawkins;John Lewis;Percy Heath;Connie Kay :: Live at the Opera House

This CD contains the two complete sets by the Coleman Hawkins/Roy Eldridge quintet recorded it the fall of 1957 at the "Civic Opera House" in Chicago (stereo) and at the "Shrine Auditorium" in Los Angeles (mono). The "Hawk" is still imperial here, and there is also a particularly welcome bonus in the fine form of Roy Eldridge on both concerts - not always the case during his career. Another astonishing surprise is the rhythm section, which consists of three quarters of the "Modern Jazz Quartet": John Lewis, Percy Heath and Connie Kay. They swing hard, proving they were versatile enough to change their style when accompanying their two elders. Making a great closing performance for a CD full of outstanding playing is a very rare version of "Stuffy," with Coleman and Roy, plus JJ Johnson, Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis and Jo Jones.