Oscar Pettiford: Not So Sleepy

Seldom in jazz has such an unusual and rich combination of sonorities been assembled into one performance. Bassist Oscar Pettifords short-lived 13-piece orchestra of the mid-1950s boasted not only an all-star lineup but also a unique instrumentation. In this track, arranger Gigi Gryce has fashioned a work of incredible beauty from Mat Mathewss haunting melody, ingeniously utilizing Pettifords overdubbed cello, French horns and harp. Besides the leaders solo effort, Lucky Thompson contributes 24 bars of sheer elegance. The sound on this CD reissue is good but ABC-Paramount was never the equal of contemporaneous labels like Blue Note, Prestige or Contemporary regarding audio quality. Nonetheless, this is desert island stuff!