Art Tatum/ Ben Webster - The Tatum Group Masterpieces

"Re-issued here on two thick slabs of 45 RPM vinyl is true desert island fare…Musically speaking, it doesn't get much better than this…To top if off, the recording is near perfection in big, full, mono sound. As good as original pressings sound, this re-issue goes to the head of the class and Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman again deserve kudos for an outstanding mastering and cutting job…Fear not, this is not the electronic stereo version, but a true mono release. Essential." – Dennis D. Davis, Hi-Fi+, Issue 54

"…what a tone – hefty, rich and warm, gushing with air and vibrato and muscular romance. The contrast between the two is heady, riveting and irresistible…The 45 rpm LP lets you hear all the detail in Tatum's fingerwork; the cymbals whoosh and sizzle more like the real thing (on the CD, they sound like they're covered by a blanket); and Webster's horn (despite the reverb) swoons. This is an essential album." – Fred Kaplan, www.stereophile.com

The final volume in an incredible series of eight Pablo recordings that featured Tatum with various sidemen. And in the case of this series, they saved the best for last. Tatum's joined by the incomparable Ben Webster, who counters Tatum's flurry of piano notes with a warm, rich tenor tone. Also onboard for this set of melodic ballads and standards are Red Callender, and Bill Douglas.