Just One of Those Things: Lionel Hampton Featuring Oscar Peterson on Verve

Verve’s Just One of Those Things contains a selection of eight highlights from Lionel Hampton’s sessions with Oscar Peterson between 1953 and 1954. This may be just a sampler, but it’s a highly enjoyable one, since Hampton and Peterson were at the top of their form during this era. The compilers have skillfully balanced familiar selections with slightly esoteric choices (including 78 rpm master takes of “It’s a Blue World” and “Hamp’s Boogie Woogie”), resulting in an informative, entertaining introduction to one of the great pairings of ’50s jazz. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine