Appropriately enough, when we have a newfound appreciation for Canadians, here’s a glimpse at those who didn’t go Stateside like Maynard or Oscar. This is music by an 11-piece Vancouver-based band that broadcast fortnightly on CBC in the years concerned (alternating with a Toronto group led by Phil Nimmons) and the music here is selected from master tapes of these broadcasts.

US-born Robbins had worked for some years with Harry James’ band but was now at the centre of a busy studio scene and, while an impressive soloist, takes less space for himself than the robust tenor of McPherson and fleet pianisms of Gage, among others. The varied writing is nearly all originals, sometimes from band-members but often commissioned from outsiders such as three tracks written by US educator Dick Grove.

Among the few names recognised by this reviewer, the then-young bassist Thompson is heard on five 1965 tracks, while his predecessor Ruhland wrote a couple of tracks and soloed on a MacMillan arrangement of Kenny Dorham’s ‘Asiatic Raes/Lotus Blossom’. The helpful booklet suggests this was a frequently working outfit, backing people like Tony Bennett on their visits to Canada, and its spirit and precision will impress anyone who’s into adventurous big bands of the period.