Recorded in 1958, this legendary date with the still-undersung Sonny
Clark in the leader's chair also featured a young Jackie McLean on alto
(playing with a smoother tone than he had before or ever did again), trumpeter
Art Farmer, and the legendary rhythm section of bassist Paul Chambers
and drummer Philly Joe Jones, both from the Miles Davis band. The set
begins with one of the preeminent "swinging medium blues" pieces
in jazz history: the title track with its leveraged fours and eights shoved
smoothly up against the walking bass of Chambers and the backbeat shuffle
of Jones. Clark's solo, with its grouped fifths and sevenths, is a wonder
of both understatement and groove, while Chambers' arco solo turns the
blues in on itself. While there isn't a weak note on this record, there
are some other tracks that stand out, most notably Miles' "Sippin'
at Bells," with its loping Latin rhythm. When McLean takes his solo
against a handful of Clark's shaded minor chords, he sounds as if he may
blow it -- he comes out a little quick -- but he recovers nicely and reaches
for a handful of Broadway show tunes to counter the minor mood of the
piece. He shifts to both Ben Webster and Lester Young before moving through
Bird, and finally to McLean himself, riding the margin of the changes
to slip just outside enough to add some depth in the middle register.
The LP closes with Henderson and Vallée's "Deep Night,"
the only number in the batch not rooted in the blues. It's a classic hard
bop jamming tune and features wonderful solos by Farmer, who plays weird
flatted notes all over the horn against the changes, and McLean, who thinks
he's playing a kind of snake charmer blues in swing tune. This set deserves
its reputation for its soul appeal alone. [The CD version includes two
bonus tracks: "Royal Flush" and "Lover"].
(by Thom Jurek, All
Music Guide)
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