In several ways The Best Of Both Worlds is a minor masterpiece, and a rare one, too: several of the tracks have never been reissued on CD. This is a great pity because, by the end of 1962, the "Ian Wheeler" version of the Barber Band had developed into a integrated musical unit in which every musician -- front line and rhythm section alike -- took on a key role. The band was by now playing tight and innovative ensemble arrangements without sacrificing any drive, and the soloists were at the height of their musical abilities and maturity.

Then along came Edmond Hall and -- perhaps more notably -- Louis Jordan, both of whom helped encourage the band to even greater heights than before. The Best Of Both Worlds includes eleven recordings from this period, four by the Barber band alone, three with Hall on clarinet (including "There'll Be Some Changes Made" -- click on the link below to listen to part of the track ), and four with Jordan on alto sax and vocals.

For more information about these recordings, you can read a scanned article from the magazine of the World Record Club, which issued this LP in Britain, Peter Clayton's entertaining and informative sleeve notes, the programme from the British tour with Louis Jordan in December 1962,and the programme from the German tour with Edmond Hall. There is also a page for Louis Jordan & Chris Barber, a CD-reissue of the Jordan tracks, plus more.