Since this album is a “retrospective,” drawing from previously recorded and issued material in the thirty year period 1923-1953, Sidney Bechet devotees will undoubtedly already have all of the tracks on this double album; so its appeal will be mainly to those with gaps in their collections or those coming to Bechet for the first time.
As will become immediately obvious to anyone unfamiliar with Bechet, he was a force to be reckoned with, easily overpowering many—perhaps most—of those with whom he played. On soprano sax he had no equal, his command of that instrument displaying awesome technique. His vibrato was pronounced, almost a quivering, and his broad, powerful tone lent volume to the sound. As a result he dominated the front line. It took a very strong trumpet or cornet player to hold his ground with Bechet, but as one will hear in these CDs some good trumpet players did manage to do that.
Frequently he went without any fellow front-liners, which allowed him to indulge himself to the limit, the lead being entirely his. Quite often he was backed by two or three players only, essentially Bechet plus rhythm, as is often the form of his Feetwarmers. As might be surmised from this dominating aspect of his performances, Bechet had a considerable ego, which he indulged on stage and off. It can also be seen in the “one-man-band” track, “The Sheik of Araby,” where thank
