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This is the latest in the continuing series of jazz and blues collections researched and compiled for Acrobat by the highly-respected catalogue expert Opal Louis Nations focusing on the music of the US west coast during the post-war era. This is the first CD project devoted specifically to the work of one of the ubiquitous figures of the Los Angeles music scene - drummer, singer, arranger and bandleader Peppy Prince. Peppy was a versatile guy who could put together an orchestra or small group for any kind of engagement, so over the years he got to work with just about everyone recording or performing in LA. This collection chronicles some of the most important, interesting and collectable tracks he recorded in the decade from 1947 to 1957, both under his own name and with other artists. Of the higher profile names featured, it includes recordings with the likes of Joe Liggins, star of the early R&B scene, with a version of his huge hit 'The Honeydripper', and Little Willie Jackson, along with recordings made with slightly more obscure but nevertheless hugely interesting personalities. It covers the gamut of the small group styles of the day, but is always entertaining and evocative of its time. As ever with these releases, Opal Louis Nations has contributed detailed booklet copy and there are rare photographs and images from the period. This is an anthology which will be a must for many collectors, providing a reference point as it does for a previously undocumented (in LP and CD terms at least) personality in jazz and popular music.
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