By the time André Previn and Shelly Manne recorded West Side Story in late 1959, they had set the pace and the standard for jazz versions of show and movie scores. Bassist Red Mitchell had been along for most of the ride. Others in jazz quickly followed suit after the incredible success of the Manne/Previn My Fair Lady (OJC-336), but none of their efforts achieved the popularity of Lady or its successors, which included this engaging treatment of the best songs from Leonard Bernstein’s triumphal Broadway musical adaptation of the Romeo and Juliet story. From the haunting ballads “Tonight” and “Maria” to the amusingly congaesque approach to “I Feel Pretty,” this is not merely one of Previn’s, Manne’s, and Mitchell’s finest show tune albums. It is one of their finest albums, categories aside.