Personnel:
Herbie Mann (fl, b-cl), Jack Sheldon (tp), Jimmy Rowles (p), Buddy Clark (b), Mel Lewis (d)
Reference: FSRCD 486
Bar code: 8427328604864
In 1957, flutist Herbie Mann claimed the bass clarinet as his most suitable second horn (#1-7). This fine, low-pressure collection is a showcase for Manns playing, but not at the expense of the other musicians. According to annotator Orrin Keepnews, this session consisted of relaxed, spirited, and free-wheeling blowing. The spirit is maintained without shoving decibels into the breach. And there are enough solos to go around.
Jack Sheldon plays with great authority. Rowles performs in supporting and solo roles with equal proficiency. Lewis and Clark service the horns with steady flow of rhythmic drive. On bass clarinet, as on the flute (#8-11), Herbie Mann here revealed himself to be a very consistent jazzman.
"The immodest title of this one carries a double connotation; it was probably the first album of jazz in which the leader recorded entirely on bass clarinet and, less significantly, the first Riverside album recorded on the West Coast. The first achievement -- which Mann and producer Orrin Keepnews thought of three years before Eric Dolphy broke out his bass clarinet on records -- ought to be more widely known, but the usual prejudices among critics regarding Mann's subsequent popularity among record buyers have decreed otherwise. In any case, Mann phrases on the bass clarinet pretty much the way he does on flute, with a definite personality, plenty of swing, and a airy outlook that makes the instrument sound less sinister. Stylistically, this is strictly a mainstream West Coast bop blowing session, with a young Jack Sheldon offering up splendid, in-the-pocket open and muted trumpet. Jimmy Rowles (piano), Buddy Clark (bass), and Mel Lewis (drums) comprise the swinging rhythm section. Miles Davis' "The Theme" and Cole Porter's "Get Out of Town" contain the tastiest solos, with Mann's own "A Stella Performance" running closely behind, but all tracks are consistently good [...]"
—Richard S. Ginell (All Music Guide)
