Eddie Miller - Soft Jive

All Music Guide

After leaving Bob Crosby's Orchestra for a stint in the military, tenor saxophonist Eddie Miller formed a short-lived big band that lasted less than a year. They recorded just four titles in the studio, but fortunately, this collector's LP features the fine orchestra on 14 additional songs, only one of which ("Our Monday Date," mistakenly listed as "The Hour of Parting") was among those cut commercially. The radio transcriptions put the focus on Miller but also include among its personnel trombonist Floyd O'Brien, woodwind players Matty Matlock (who probably did most of the writing) and Rosy McHargue, pianist Stanley Wrightsman and drummer Nick Fatool. The style is similar to the Bob Crosby big band, with the highlights including "Soft Jive," "Love Me or Leave Me," "Lazy Mood" and "Song of the Islands." A collector's item of its kind.

- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide