I have this CD and I listened to part of it again this morning. It's good but not "mind-boggling good". Since it's a tribute to Gerry Mulligan, all of the tunes will be familiar to his fans. I found myself whistling along at times. Ronnie Cuber did the arrangements and I think he did a good job in getting some nice harmonies from the three horns. I can only think of one or two tracks where I didn't think it worked, with one being the track "Theme For Jobim" where I felt the horns contrasted too much and sounded out of kilter on the head, almost a sour sound? Also, be aware that there is no piano... if that bothers you. The bassist and drummer work well together (Andy McKee & Joe Farnsworth). I think McKee is in Cuber's regular band as he's the bassist on both of Cuber's recent Steeplechase CDs (available right here on Jazz Corner direct from Ronnie).
My only real complaint about this CD is that it comes in one of those crappy Dreyfus digipaks where the package is all integrated with the artwork and liner notes. If you scuff the cardboard or drop it or break some teeth on the plastic CD tray, you're up Shit's Creek without a paddle. As it is, I special ordered mine and when it came in, it had a big razor cut across the back which I didn't notice right away. "No Returns On Special Orders" sucks.
RIP, Nick. I miss you, man! Not enough bari players around.
Later,
Kevin
Linear Mode
