Jazz Symphony Archive

Jimmy Giuffre – Western Suite – Atlantic/ Pure Pleasure – vinyl

by Audiophile Audition | Jan 1, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

Jimmy Giuffre – Western Suite – Atlantic SD-1331 (1958)/ Pure Pleasure (2015) – stereo vinyl, 38:19 ****1/2: A hi-res update of an inventive jazz symphony sounds vibrant! (Jimmy Giuffre – clarinet, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone; Bob Brookmeyer – trombone; Jim Hall – guitar) Part of Jimmy Giuffre’s musical legacy is his development of unprecedented jazz forms. He first gained notoriety in the late forties as an arranger for Woody Herman. Then Giuffre became a fundamental part of West Coast Jazz. In the fifties he formed a trio (playing saxophone instead of clarinet) with Jim Hall (guitar) and Ralph Pena (double bass). This created an ability to combine animated jazz music with low-keyed chamber interludes. When he replaced the doublebass with Bob Brookmeyer (trombone), Giuffre experienced a creative surge. The result of this was an original composition, Western Suite, that added a refreshing dimension to jazz. Pure Pleasure Records has re-mastered Western Suite to 180-gram vinyl. Side One opens with the core of the album, the four-part “Western Suite”. This is a truly ambitious work that draws on the rare alchemy between improvisational jazz and modern American classical music. The First Movement (“Pony Express”) embraces the folk elements that the title […]