Trumpeter
Blue Mitchell is in excellent form on this very interesting session that has been reissued on CD.
Mitchell is accompanied by a brass section, a rhythm section, and strings. The arrangements (seven by
Tadd Dameron and three from
Benny Golson) are generally quite stimulating, inspiring the trumpeter to come up with many fresh melodic solos. The repertoire includes two songs that
Mitchell played regularly with
the Horace Silver Quintet, a pair of superior
Tadd Dameron tunes (including the title cut), and six standards. By varying tempos and moods,
Dameron and
Golson helped create one of the better soloist-with-strings jazz dates. ~ Scott Yanow