Originally released on 10-inch vinyl in early 1955, this album spotlights some of the best from Blue Note's West Coast jazz roster of the day, as the title implies, recorded in Los Angeles and featuring prominent jazz musicians from both coasts such as Harry "Sweets" Edison, Stan Levey, Conte Candoli and Marty Paich. The "blindfold test" refers to the fact that this was originally issued with no credits, presenting a challenge to jazz fans to identify the players who were only revealed on the second volume of this series.

Originally released on 10-inch vinyl in early 1955, this album spotlights some of the best from Blue Note's West Coast jazz roster of the day, as the title implies, recorded in Los Angeles and featuring prominent jazz musicians from both coasts such as Harry "Sweets" Edison, Stan Levey, Conte Candoli and Marty Paich. The "blindfold test" refers to the fact that this was originally issued with no credits, presenting a challenge to jazz fans to identify the players who were only revealed on the second volume of this series.

In 1959 Ella Fitzgerald broke away from her acclaimed Songbooks series to release this lush album of jazz standards featuring a full studio orchestra, arranged and conducted by Frank DeVol. Among the favourites given Fitzgerald's unique vocal stylings are "Makin' Whoopee", "Let's Fall In Love" and "Moonlight Serenade".

Here is a beautiful partnership between one of the more individual tenors from the swing era the distinctive Buddy Tate, and the always swinging Harry “Sweets” Edison who got the most mileage out of a single note and is immediately recognizable within a note or two for his long-used repetition and simplicity.

Long considered a jewel in Verve Records' very impressive crown, Fitzgerald's songbook collections of various composers–a series that was started by the success of this set–are all wonderful, but her natural wit and intelligence was at its most perfect with Cole Porter's erudite, urbane songs. While not as scat-oriented as her small group outings, these Porter sets offer her most realized pop performances. Also, the gold remastering does a fine job of bringing out the nuances in the arrangements, making this a treasure for the serious collector and the casual listener alike. A true American music gem.

Live at the Sands (Before Frank) is a live album by the pianist and bandleader Count Basie with performances recorded in Las Vegas in 1966 at the same concerts that produced Frank Sinatra's 1966 album "Sinatra at the Sands". The album is of the warm-up sets by Basie's band before Sinatra's performances. It was originally released on the Reprise label in 1998.