This quartet outing with pianist
Tom Ranier
, bassist
John Leitham
, and drummer
Louis Bellson
is one of altoist
Herb Geller
's finest recordings.
Geller
, whose long period in Europe has resulted in him being somewhat forgotten in the U.S., has actually improved through the years and was even stronger in the mid-'90s than he had been in the mid-'50s. For this date he contributes five originals (including a tribute to
Lenny Bruce
,
"Stand-Up Comic,"
during which
sings) and performs six mostly lesser-known
standards
, highlighted by
"The Peacocks,"
which has its composer,
Jimmy Rowles
, sitting in on piano. This CD is easily recommended to
bop
collectors, for it finds
at the peak of his powers. ~ Scott Yanow