Jimmy Rushing - Vanguard Visionaries (2007)

This ten-cut sampler of blues and jazz great Jimmy Rushing compiles cuts from his three mid-'50s LPs for Vanguard -- Listen to the Blues, Jimmy Rushing Sings The Blues, and Oh Love. Most of tunes have been compiled on larger anthologies such as the Essential Jimmy Rushing and Every Day. There are fine performances on this set, such as his readings of "See See Rider," Count Basie's "Boogie Woogie," "Evenin'," and "Goin' to Chicago." From the jazz side of his oeuvre is the Johnny Burke-Arthur Johnston standard "Pennies from Heaven," "Sent for You Yesterday," and "Dinah." While these are among his best sides as a solo performer, hearing his work with the Count Basie big band is the real place to encounter Rushing in his prime, but it's hard to beat this for the price. © Thom Jurek