Bright, Effervescent & Swingin'
Tad Ulrich | Los Angeles, CA United States | 11/26/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"With Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Mel Lewis on drums, the then young Don Randi had all the support he needed to create a swinging set of both standards and original tunes.
Not everything works out perfectly. For example, "Gypsy in My Soul" tends to ramble a little without a point and the ending for "That's All" is a somewhat abrupt for an otherwise decent interpretation. But for the most part this is a very satisfying set. Randi's take on "Waltzing Matilda" rarely heard, if at all, is sweet with a beautiful intro. "I Love Paris" wails nicely with a cool latin intro and exit by Lewis and also some nice fours traded with Lewis. Randi's original "Interlude", a ballad, is quite pretty.
The packaging is a cd size shrink down of the original lp with a repro of the original Verve record label as well. Nice touches. There is also an insert written in Japanese. The set was remastered in stereo (thankfully) and the sound quality is excellent.
Being a Japanese import this cd is hardly bargain fare but I have wanted it for a very long time and regard it as a welcome reissue. If you don't mind spending a few extra bucks and like straight ahead trio jazz, I don't think you will be disappointed with this set."