A lost chapter in the career of cellist Fred Katz – an album recorded after his small combo work with
Chico Hamilton, and sort of a larger group take on the whimsical sound of the classic
Hamilton Quintet! The tracks are all older folk tunes, adapted by Katz to fit a chamber jazz mode – and featuring shifting instrumentation from track to track, in order to fit the African, American, or Jewish origins of the tunes. Although the concept may sound a bit gimmicky, the record's actually pretty darn great from a jazz perspective – and is one of the few to show the real depth of Katz as a leader! Players include Billy Bean on guitar, Gene Estes on vibes, Jack Costanzo on percussion, Pete Candoli on trumpet, and Paul Horn on flute and alto – all great talents for this sort of work, especially Horn, whose reed lines help keep things lively. Titles include "Mate'ka", "Chili'lo", "Mathni-ki", "Old Paint", "Foggy Foggy Dew", and "Rav's Nigun".
(Jazz, Now Sound)