The
unique timbre of Jimmy Giuffre’s soft and gentle clarinet and saxes
lights up this brilliant collection of small group swing dating from
1959. Ain’t no honking here! The trio is without percussion, which is
fine with me – often preferring a chamber jazz sort of sound. Ray
Brown’s walking bass keeps Giuffre and Jim Hall moving right along with
vigor. Hall was the perfect choice to complement Giuffre’s style, since
he has also made a career out of a unique soft and gentle sound.
Giuffre accents the lower registers of both his clarinet and sax here,
which together with the low tones of both Hall and Brown results in
some sexy, almost suggestive moods. Giuffre composed six of the nine
tunes and the trio dug into all of them spontaneously in the studio.
Great music, great players, great sound.
Tracks:
The Easy Way, Mack the Knife, Come Rain or Come Shine, Ray’s Time, A
Dream, Off Center, Montage, Time Enough.