There are special occasions when the social class known as serious jazz fans get together for discourse, sometimes also involving members of society known as jazz musicians. These people will sometimes blurt the names out of the most obscure musicians they can think of. The name Boone Stines will inevitably pop up in such a discussion, sometimes hissed between clenched teeth. He was part of the Los Angeles jazz scene in the '50s and '60s, and while this metropolis has never failed to have a jazz scene with a variety of musicians toiling in it, languishing in anonymity seems to be the lifestyle for most of these players. Stines' style was clearly based on the intense yet sonically in-control brushwork of Shelly Manne, a player associated with both the mainstream and forward-thinking players. Stines followed the same route, collaborating with players such as Harry Babasin, the jazz world's first cello soloist, or vibraphonist Bob Harrington. In each case, the drumming style of Stines was a boon to the quiet volumes of these respective instruments, and he also worked well with jazz guitarists such as Jimmy Wyblie. The recording career of Stines exists mostly on releases from West Coast independents, much of which is out of print. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi