The early 1940s were a golden age for jazz trumpeters. Consider that among those active and in top form were Henry 'Red' Allen, Billy Butterfield, Buck Clayton, Bill Coleman, Wild Bill Davison, Sidney DeParis, Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Bobby Hackett, Erskine Hawkins, Harry James, Bunk Johnson, Jonah Jones, Max Kaminsky, Yank Lawson, Wingy Manone, Jimmy McPartland, Ray Nance, Frankie Newton, Red Nichols, Hot Lips Page, Muggsy Spanier, Rex Stewart, and Cootie Williams, not to mention the one who towered above them all: Louis Armstrong. What those two dozen immortal brassmen (plus a handful of others) had in common was that they were all instantly recognizable within a few notes, and each had developed their own musical personality.

The same qualities were certainly true of Roy Eldridge and Charlie Shavers. As can be heard on these recordings and others from their career, they both had sounds that were unlike anyone else’s. While Eldridge was a combative warrior who always gave his all as if he were battling Gabriel for supremacy, Shavers was a nearly flawless technician who was not shy to give strong hints of his sense of humor. When they traded off in 1953 at Jazz At The Philharmonic concerts, Shavers triumphed due to his technique but Eldridge won points for his emotionalism and determination.