Although this compilation was issued in 2004 under soprano saxophonist
Steve Lacy
's name, the two original records which make up this
Lone Hill Jazz
CD were separate dates issued under the leadership of bassist
Whitey Mitchell
(brother of bassist
Red Mitchell
) and tenor horn player
Tom Stewart
by
ABC-Paramount
. The first ten selections come from
Mitchell
's sessions, with snappy arrangements of
standards
contributed by
Neal Hefti
. The sextet also includes
Stewart
, trumpeter
Don Stratton
, guitarist
Joe Puma
, and drummer
Osie Johnson
. The leader's bass has a prominent role, though there's plenty of solo space for
Lacy
,
Stratton
, and
, too. Although
Hefti
was primarily arranging
on this date, he leans more toward
cool jazz
rather than the
swing
style associated with his writing for
Count Basie
. Highlights include the breezy
"Strike Up the Band"
(with a few nice drum breaks by
Johnson
), the easygoing
"I Let a Song Go out of My Heart,"
and the beautifully voiced
"You Stepped Out of a Dream."
The
sessions feature three separate dates with slightly different personnel. On the first six tracks, pianist
Dave McKenna
and drummer
Al Levitt
join
.
is the dominant soloist (whose instrument could be easily mistaken for a trombone by a novice
jazz
fan), though
's imaginative flights are remarkable for such a young musician, especially since the soprano sax was not yet popular among up-and-coming
artists during the mid-'50s. The songs include a mixture of traditional
, and obscure works. The breezy
"Rosetta,"
the little known
"My Heart Is a Hobo,"
and a rather brief
"Let's Get Lost"
(the latter omitting
McKenna
and adding
Herbie Mann
on tenor sax) are among the high points. Due to the rarity of the original LPs, picking up a copy of this CD is a far cheaper alternative, though the sloppy song credits contain several errors and omissions. ~ Ken Dryden