Big Blues in Bloomington, MN

Fluegelhornist
Art Farmer
and guitarist
Jim Hall
had a regular group for a time in the mid-'60s but (with one exception) didn't play together again until this 1978 LP. It's an unusual effort for
CTI
in that it is a quintet set without added horns, strings, or keyboards.
Farmer
and
Hall
are joined by vibraphonist
Mike Mainieri
, bassist
Michael Moore
, and drummer
Steve Gadd
for two standards, the title cut, and a jazz adaptation of a piece by
Ravel
. Since
have long had very complementary styles (both being lyrical, harmonically advanced, and thoughtful in their improvisations), it is little surprise that this set is a complete success. ~ Scott Yanow