Poll Winners
The Poll Winners
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

Sealed 2022 US reissue from Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds Series. Features all-analog mastering from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman. Pressed on 180gm vinyl at QRP. Custom hype sticker on shrink. A timeless summit meeting of West Coast jazz virtuosity, The Poll Winners unites guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Shelly Manne—three titans at the height of their acclaim, each a perennial readers’ poll favorite in their respective instruments. Recorded in 1957 for Contemporary Records, the session is a masterclass in taste, swing, and effortless interplay.

Kessel’s supple phrasing and luminous tone dance around Brown’s supple, grounded bass lines while Manne’s brushwork provides a crisp yet understated propulsion. Tracks like “Satin Doll” and “On Green Dolphin Street” are rendered with such conversational ease that the trio feels telepathic—jazz stripped to its essentials, yet brimming with life.