This album preserves a great performance by a rare gathering of players, with drummer Jake Hanna and trombonist Carl Fontana as the headliners. Fontana, one of the top jazz soloists on his instrument, is featured on the first two tracks, “A Beautiful Friendship” and “Sweet and Lovely.” Tenor sax and trumpet are added for the rest of the tunes, except the ballad “Old Folks” which features the tenor alone with the rhythm section. The soloist is Plas Johnson, a star in his own right, who is perhaps most widely remembered for his famous Pink Panther solo with Henry Mancini.
Jake Hanna was not a flashy drummer in the style of Buddy Rich, but he knew how to lead a rhythm section with the beauty and precision of the proverbial Swiss watch. For that he shares the credit with legendary players Dave McKenna on piano and Herb Ellis on guitar.
The 49 minutes of music offered here are great stuff (by James A. Vedda)
There are very few recordings of the great trombonist Carl Fontana, so this is reason to celebrate. An electric jam session recorded live at the 1975 Concord (CA) Jazz Festival, Carl and friends ( Dave McKenna, Herb Ellis, Jake Hanna,to name a few) truly shine, and they sound like they are really enjoying themselves. The result is a very swinging, underrated album that should not be missed. (by an amzon customer)
Fantastic collection of jazz musicians. Carl Fontana is just magnificent on this album as are Plas Johnson,Herb Ellis and Dave McKenna. This is a rare find. (by Barbara P. Maine)
Personnel:
Bill Berry (trumpet)
Herb Ellis (guitar)
Carl Fontana (trombone)
Jake Hanna (drums)
Plas Johnson (saxophone)
Dave McKenna (piano)
Herb Mickman (bass)
Tracklist:
01. A Beautiful Friendship (Styne/Kahn) 8.02
02. Sweet And Lovely (Arnheim/Tobias/Lemare) 6.14
03. Jumpin’ The Blues (McShann/Parker) 5.32
04. Old Folks (Hill/Robison) 4.42
05. Take The A Train (Strayhorn) 8.37
06. I’ve Found A New Baby (Palmer/Williams) 6.41
07. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart (Mills/Nemo/Redmond/Ellington) 6.27
ManyFantasticColors 