Complete 50s Recordings Vol 1 – Quintet & Octet

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Quintet and Octet recordings by saxophonist/arranger Lennie Niehaus – both of them great! The first 8 tracks of the CD feature Lennie stepping out of the larger Stan Kenton orchestra, into the limelight with a hip quintet that includes Jack Montrose on tenor, Bob Gordon on baritone, Monty Budwig on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums. The feel here is quite similar to the best Montrose/Gordon collaborations from the time – impeccably tight reed lines, but still played with enough sense of soul to bring in a good deal of humanity to the otherwise modern setting. The tracks are tight and short – and titles include "Bottoms Up", "I Remember You", "Inside Out", "Prime Rib", and "Whose Blues". The Octet sides are almost even better – large group material, but tracks that really have Lennie grooving on alto – blowing in a tighter, harder style than most west coasters – more in the realm of Herb Geller or Art Pepper than some of his other contemporaries on the instrument – really shining in a larger group that includes Bill Holman, Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Gordon, Jack Montrose, and Pete Jolly. Arrangements are beautiful, and titles include "Rick's Tricks", "Figure 8", "How About You", "Bunko", "Night Life", "Have You Met Miss Jones", and "Seaside".  © 1996-2024, Dusty Groove, Inc.