The five recordings, which together numbered twenty tracks, began with Ottilie, continued with Monty, and then carried on with Pat. Fourth came Introducing Ian, a vehicle to showcase the talents of the new reedman after he replaced Monty Sunshine. I’ve always thought it a marker of his unselfishness as a bandleader that Chris himself not only did not play on many of these tracks, but also stepped aside until the fifth and last in the series, In Barber’s Chair, for his own feature. It's a pity that none of the rhythm section (Eddie Smith, Dick Smith, and Graham Burbidge) enjoyed his own moment in the spotlight, but each of them shines through on these tracks, both individually and together: surely this was the best rhythm section in British traditional jazz at the time! Many of the tunes have never been reissued on CD -- until now, that is, on In Barber's Chair, the first CD in the highly welcome “Record Supervision Collection” series from Lake Records.

Click on each thumbnail below to see a full-screen version of each EP cover, as well as the track lists, personnel, recording dates, and sleeve notes.