Here's a great idea - albums by big band superstars focusing on the various singers who performed with them. Sure, many of the cuts here are familiar, but each collection is loaded with fabulous choices, and no fewer than 16 on each disc.

Goodman's clarinet teams up with Billie Holiday ("Riffin' the Scotch"), Peggy Lee ("I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place"), Art Lund ("Blue Skies"), Dottie Reid ("It's Only a Paper Moon"), Dick Haymes ("Serenade in Blue"), etc. (And of course, Gene Krupa on drums, Harry James on trumpet and other legendary band members.)Pianist Ellington features Bing Crosby ("St. Louis Blues"), Ethel Waters ("I Can't Give You Anything But Love"), the Mills Brothers ("Diga Diga Do"), Rosemary Clooney ("Sophisticated Lady"), etc.

The Count plays piano to Helen Humes (on five songs), Jimmy Rushing (also on five), Ann Moore ("Jivin' Joe Jackson"), etc.

Les Brown on sax introduces Doris Day ("Day By Day," "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" and "Sentimental Journey"), Eileen Wilson ("Comes the Sandman"), Butch Stone ("A Good Man Is Hard to Find," "Robin Hood"), etc.

And trumpeter James is joined by Betty Grable ("I Can't Begin to Tell You"), Rosemary Clooney ("You'll Never Know"), Helen Forrest ("I Don't Want to Walk Without You," "I've Heard that Song Before," "I Had the Craziest Dream"), Helen Humes ("It's the Dreamer In Me"), etc.

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RATINGS: four stars (* * * * ), excellent; three stars (* * * ), good; two stars (* * ), fair; one star (* ), poor, with 1/2 representing a higher, intermediate grade.

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