Track Listing

1. Blue Lou
2. Soft Winds
3. Dinah
4. Iris of the IRA
5. Jumpin' at the Woodside
6. Look Around
7. Ida
8. Yardbird Suite
9. Log Rolling

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #105818 in Music
• Released on: 1996-11-05
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Customer Reviews

West Coast Jazz ala Paich
First of all, if you like 1950's west coast jazz be sure to check out this label (VSOP) for more titles. I don't know how long it's been around - I just stumbled onto it via this session. But they seem to have a growing catalog dedicated to reissuing vintage vinyl from the 50's California scene. Anyway, this session is unique if for no other reason but it's instrumentation: two trumpets (Jack Sheldon and Don Fagerquist) blended with two valve trombones and a swinging rhythm section. Most of the tunes are up tempo swing numbers with interesting west coast harmonies and great solos from some of the best studio jocks of the era. Even the few ballad numbers have some unique interplay between the trumpets and trombones. If you like Paich, or Bill Holman, or Shorty Rogers etc. you'll wear this one out. Highly recommended and worth the wait if you special order.

A Very Cool Encounter, for sure!
This V.S.O.P. edition was like a God-send for me, for it featured my two favorite trumpeters from this period--namely Don Fagerquist and Jack Sheldon. What a pair! Each imprinting their own unique styles on the scene: Don with his nimble agility and cool lyricism; Jack with his witty and funky (actually pre-funk) "foo-foo" approach. When I was a yound lad in Cincinnati, we listened at that time to WNOP (Radio Free Newport) which was totally JAZZ and often played Jack Sheldon's "The Falcon" comedy skit. (How's Your Bird?) Great jazz and great jazz humor. So...I wish I had been a fly on the wall during this recording session. (The playing projects a very upbeat atmosphere.) If you are familar with their playing, you can tell how they bounce off and influence each other. Jack is more comfortable with the blues agendas and his humor shines through, while Don is in his element when his melodic gifts have room to soar. Particularly noteworthy is the cut "Yardbird Suite" with the cats trading eights and fours. Marty Paich did most of the scoring (who else?!!). Stu Williamson and Bob Enevoldsen do the valve trombone parts of this unique septet. Mel Lewis on drums and Buddy Clark on bass keep it tight and steady, and are never in the way. This is the same rhythm section that Don used on his only self produced LP "Eight by Eight" also from V.S.O.P. I'm sure you'll like that one as well.