Coleman Hawkins' adventures as an American jazzman in Holland during the mid-'30s have been documented with regularity by numerous reissue labels. Dutch Treat!, Avid's 1998 double-disc anthology, appears to be the most thorough of them all, as it examines the recorded evidence in detail, presenting 25 masters and 24 alternate takes recorded in The Hague, Laren, and Hilversum between February 4, 1935, and June 14, 1938. Hawkins glows in the full glory of his early maturity, merrily jamming among capable players with names like Toon Diepenbroeck, Sal Doof, Kees Kranenburg, Wim Poppink, George van Helvoirt, and Andre Van Den Ouderaa. Hawkins is heard with a nine-piece ensemble known as the Ramblers and in trio and duet performances with drummer Maurice van Kleef and pianist Freddy Johnson. Vocals on "Some of These Days," "I Only Have Eyes for You," and "Hands Across the Table" were sung by Anny de Reuver, and Hawkins used his handsome speaking voice on "What Harlem Is to Me." A number of Hawk's original compositions are mixed in with swing standards and Tin Pan Alley pop tunes. They are "Swinging in the Groove," "Blues Evermore," "Well, All Right Then," "Something Is Gonna Give Me Away," "Netcha's Dream," and "A Strange Fact," known to the Dutch as "Een Vreemd Feit." The inclusion of alternate takes -- placed on a second disc so as to avoid repetition -- makes this a richly rewarding treat for those who love Coleman Hawkins and want to hear how good he sounded wherever he went during his amazing European sojourn during the years immediately preceding the Second World War. ~ arwulf arwulf

A three-disc box set from England's Avid Records, Little Jazz Giant tracks trumpeter Roy Eldridge's career from his early work as part of the Delta Four in 1935 through his own efforts to front a swing combo in the late '30s, his work with bandleaders Teddy Hill and Fletcher Henderson, his brilliant early-'40s sides with Gene Krupa, his profitable stay with Artie Shaw, his uncertain position with the modern bop community, and finally, four concluding tracks with Oscar Peterson. In retrospect, it's interesting how many of the most striking cuts here were actually written by Eldridge, including "That Thing," "The Gasser," "Fish Market," "Wild Driver," "Yard Dog," and "They Raided the Joint," each of which has a perceptible modernist edge. Pound for pound, Eldridge was one of the finest upper-range trumpet players jazz has ever produced, and this set has countless examples of his jet-propelled solos (check out his lightning-fast solos in the version of "St. Louis Blues" that is included here). Avid has released each of the discs from this set as single packages as well, entitled The Gasser (1935-1946), Wild Driver (1944-1950), and The Heat's On (1951-1952). ~ Steve Leggett