Jazz Workshops: George Russell And Hal McKusick

This edition of Night Lights features the Jazz Workshops, progressive 1950s jazz recorded by pianist/composer/theorist George Russell and saxophonist Hal McKusick. The RCA Victor Jazz Workshop series, begun by A & R man Jack Lewis, was in some respects an extension of the "Birth of the Cool" school that began in the late 1940s. Bill Evans and Art Farmer are some of the soloists heard on these innovative, often-overlooked LPs that offer yet more evidence that the 1950s were an exciting time in the jazz world. Another program features the abandoned Victor session recorded by Johnny Carisi for the series, as well as Charles Mingus' Jazz Workshop albums for the Savoy and Debut labels.