My first title on the Vee-Jay label and it’s a banger. Really enjoy Strozier. And the band backing him are top notch. One cat in particular. Namely Booker Little, my favorite trumpeter, which makes this session all the more engaging. Great to hear him on this date which is more in the hard bop idiom, compared to the brilliant albums he recorded with Eric Dolphy and his own sessions on Candid and Bethlehem, which were more post bop.
The other cats are Paul Chambers on double bass, Wynton Kelly on piano and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Pretty stellar personell, right? I really dig Cobb. He always played very tasteful and elegant and had a great sounding, delicate ride cymbal sound. This is a lovely recording. I’m very impressed. Will be keeping my eye out for more stuff on this label.
Strozier is perhaps a bit underrated among the great altoists in jazz. He shouldn’t be though, he was a brilliant player. Have two titles now with him as a leader and I’m looking for more.
Favorite tune has to be the Booker Little original ”Waltz of the Demons” and the Strozier original ”Runnin’”, which is an excercise in high speed virtuosity. Booker Littles solo on this is simply amazing. Then again, all of his solos are out of this world.
On a side note, I truly dig the label design on these old Vee-Jay titles. Looks a bit like an old 78 to me.
This album is highly recommended.
