Before becoming known for leading a world famous jazz orchestra with Thad Jones, drummer Mel Lewis had an impressive career with Stan Kenton and even lead a few groups of his own. This single disc has two very impressive small group recordings lead by the drummer from the mid 50s.
The Septet from 1956 includes the West Coast team of Ed Leddy /tp,Richie Kamuca-Jerry Coker/ts, Pepper Adams/bs, Johnny Marabuto/p and Dean Reilly/b and with some nifty arrangements by Lennie Niehaus along with the rest of the team. During this Oakland gig, the sax-rich team deliciously swings on “In A Mellotone” and “’Enry “iggins ‘Ead” with Kamuca’s Stan Getz-inspired sound working wonders throughout. Lewis is a master of taste here, and also on the 1957 Sextet session. Here, Hollywood studio studs Jack Sheldon/tp, Charlie Mariano/as, Bill Holman/ts, Marty Paich/p and Buddy Clark/b join with the snappy leader for a vintage West Coast Cool breeze on “You Took Advantage of Me” and a fun ride on the roller coaster at The Pike on ”Zig-Zag.” The music seamlessly swings, and anything with the underrecorded Mariano is essential, as his warm horn bops with delight. Gonna like this one!
Fresh Sound Records