It's always regrettable when a high-quality jazz band isn't recorded as much as it deserves to be; in fact, it's downright tragic that
Thelonious Monk
's 1957 performances with
John Coltrane
at
the Five Spot
in New York weren't documented extensively. But thankfully,
Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band
of 1960-1963 was well documented and resulted in some rewarding albums. One of them is
Zurich, 1960
, which was recorded live at
Mustermesse Basel
in Zurich, Switzerland, on November 17, 1960. This CD finds the 14-piece
Concert Jazz Band
in excellent form during a concert that ranges from well-known standards (including
"Body and Soul"
and
"You Took Advantage of Me"
) to swinging
Mulligan
originals like
"The Apple Core,"
"C,"
"Walkin' Shoes."
Although
's subtle, lyrical baritone sax is the main attraction -- arguably, he was the
Stan Getz
of the baritone -- the improviser doesn't hesitate to feature such five-star soloists as trumpeter
Conte Candoli
, tenor saxman
Zoot Sims
, trombonist
Bob Brookmeyer
, and alto saxman
Gene Quill
(who is also heard on clarinet). And whoever is taking a solo, the band has a consistently insightful and sensitive drummer in
Mel Lewis
. ~ Alex Henderson