AB Fable, an English label owned by Anthony Barnett that specializes in rare jazz violin recordings, assembled this compilation of rare and unusual tracks as a special bonus for advance subscribers to its complete line of 2005 new releases. Only 123 copies were issued, all as hand-numbered CD-Rs with no sound restoration attempted, though there are detailed personnel lists and notes about the various sessions from which the music came. But the rarity and variety of the material make up for the occasional lack of fidelity. Stuff Smith is well represented, including a pair of rehearsals with Jimmy Jones, an all-star sextet that includes a young Dexter Gordon, Herbie Fields (on clarinet), and possibly Erroll Garner on piano. Vocalist Johnny Hartman is a surprise walk-on for Smith's poignant rendition of "April in Paris." Jean-Luc Ponty is heard on a pair of early-'60s airchecks with pianist Jack Dieval in a swing setting, showing off his chops a bit with a chorus in "Almost Like Being in Love." Elek Bacsik, a cousin of Django Reinhardt, is heard on violin (prior to his switch to guitar for good) on several tracks, including an excerpt from a long jam of the bop favorite "Walkin'." Other violinists in this anthology include Bruce Hayden, Dick Wetmore, Lajos Kazanova, and even the controversial religious figure Louis Farrakhan (as the Charmer) on a corny calypso called "Trinidad Road March." Since Almost Like Being in Bop: Bownus 2005 is unlikely to be reissued with fancier packaging and mastering and is already a collector's item, fans of jazz violin who failed to buy the advance subscription to the label's 2005 releases will have to wait for an estate sale to locate a copy of this unusual, thoroughly enjoyable collection. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide