Gigi Gryce - Gigi Gryce Quintet Featuring Richard Williams & Richard Wyands 1960-1961 [2CD Set] (2012)

Like so many talented musicians, Gigi Gryce (1925-1983) got less out of his jazz career than he deserved. A fine, astringent altoist inspired by, among others, Charlie Parker, but without Bird s all-consuming flame or facility, he was also an inventive composer and arranger, which coloured both the groups he led and his work as a soloist. It s all abundantly evident on the four well- crafted, highly accessible albums collected here, the last he made as leader. His feeling for the blues and imaginative approach to the form invigorates the albums Saying Somethin! and The Rat Race Blues . But he could also take a fresh slant on well known material, as he does with the standards on The Hap nin s (which also features his most famous compositions, Nica s Tempo and Minority) and with the Ellington band s staples, Caravan and Take the A Train, and Dizzy Gillespie s A Night in Tunisia on Reminiscin . And he got a sparkling response from the capable group he led, which included Richard Williams, Mickey Roker, Richard Wyands and Eddie Costa.