Rare work from obscure Chicago tenor player Vito P
rice – recorded back in the days when there actually used to be a jazz scene in the city's center – also known as The Loop! P
rice was a New Yorker by birth, but worked in Chicago clubs, TV, and radio in the 50s – and was most likely brought to Argo for this session by Chubby Jackson – with whom he'd worked on a previous date for the label. P
rice has a strong, bold tone in his horn – swing-based, but with a fluid sense of movement that's absorbed plenty of bop – and on the album, he's playing in two different settings. Side one features a largeish group with two more trumpets and two trombones, and side two features a quintet with a slightly more intimate sound. Lou Levy plays piano in both groups, and titles include "Credo", "Eye Strain", "Swingin The Loop", "Mousey's Tune", and "Duddy".
(Spanish CFE/Fresh Sound reissue. Cover has light wear.)