I almost didn't download this b/c of the previous reviewer who claimed a dreadful mixing job had been done on it. I don't know what this person is hearing. On my end, it sounds rich, precise, and present - just what I wanted. Get it. The performances are inspired and complex, the tunes beautiful and energetic. All speeds are here.
It sounds like Sonny was in the next room (or maybe still on the bridge). At one point, I wondered, "who's playing the violin?" but that was just Sonny off in the distance. Jim Hall, however, is right up front, in your face (or as in your face as he ever gets). Too bad, because the performances really are quite good.
One of SR's best - all these songs are great. Check out Sonny when he goes out of time as the band cuts out on the bridge of "Without a Song" and then they all snap back in on Sonny's cue. Great Music!
Don Cherry began to make his mark with his first recording session, on February 10, 1958, as foil for freebopping alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman on music recorded for Something Else! Their bebop forebears Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker favored rough-sounding unison melodies, a departure from the swing era's smooth blends, but the Coleman-Cherry mix was scrappier still. As soloist, Don took cues from how Ornette's solos didn't track a tune's harmonies… more »
