The cover of this this Real Gone Jazz repackaging of
Quincy Jones' work circa 1956-1960 is a curious one. While the box set shows three of the the four album's original covers --
This Is How I Feel About Jazz (1956),
Go West, Man! (1957) and
I Dig Dancers (1960) -- it also depicts the cover of
Birth of a Band, Vol. 2, when the album actually included is the original from 1958. Aside from this, these four recordings, from the very beginning of
Jones' career as a bandleader, staff writer, and arranger for Mercury, are all high in quality and feature some of the greatest names in jazz. Among them:
Pepper Adams,
Conte and
Pete Candoli,
Benny Carter,
Paul Chambers,
Buddy Collette,
Harry "Sweets" Edison,
Art Farmer,
Curtis Fuller,
Herb Geller,
Benny Golson,
Freddie Hubbard,
Milt Jackson,
Hank Jones,
Mel Lewis,
Melba Liston,
Herbie Mann,
Shelly Manne,
Charlie Mariano,
Charles Mingus,
Oliver Nelson,
Art Pepper,
Jack Sheldon,
Sahib Shihab,
Zoot Sims,
Billy Taylor,
Clark Terry,
Lucky Thompson,
Leroy Vinnegar,
Frank Wess, and
Phil Woods.
Jones composed a few tunes here, but other writers like
Golson,
Bobby Timmons,
Cannonball Adderley,
Johnny Mandel, and
Mariano contributed to the overall excellence of these recordings (the tune "A Sleepin' Bee" was co-written by
Harold Arlen with
Truman Capote!). From readings of standards like "Tuxedo Junction" and "Our Love Is Here to Stay," to modern jazz tunes like "Moanin'" and "I Remember Clifford," these performances are tight, focused and swing like mad. Given the price, the 35 tracks included on these two discs are a bargain.
–
Thom Jurek, Rovi