Original albums by Chet Baker, André Previn, Jim Hall, BudShank, John Lewis, Herb Geller, Barney Kessel, Ray Brown, ShellyManne, Hampton Hawes and many more......Had Los Angeles developed to the capitol of the american musicindustry as it became the centre of the movie business the courseof jazz history would have been a different one. But neverthelessall jazz musicians of stature from the big apple passed throughLA for lenghty and important gigs and recording sessions in theircareers: Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins,Cannonball Adderley just to name a few.In the forties and fifties LA was home to such legends as DexterGordon, Chet Baker, André Previn, Jim Hall and Ray Brown whoare among the stars of „West Coast Jazz II“.16 original albums demonstrate how diverse and vibrating thedifferent musical styles of LA musicians were, often featuring thesame key musicians who were at home in all of them. The pleasantCalifornian weather, the steady studio jobs in the film industryand the more relaxed life style favored musical expressions whoreflected this over all situation.And it should be stated here for the connaisseur : the quality andthe depth of the recording sound of Contemporary Records wheremany of the albums collected here were recorded was better thananything produced on the East coast by independent labels likeBlue Note or Prestige.That there was respect and comradery between East and WestCoast musicians is best documented by Modern Jazz Quartetmusical mind and pianist John Lewis and his beautiful album„Great Encounter“ gathering some of the best musicians of bothends of North America. But here in this collection is so much tofind and enjoy and all justified by no one else but the Duke: „Itdon´t mean a thing if it ain´t got that......“.