Customer Reviews

Oboe/Flute [Vinyl]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're interested in a quiet, cerebral approach to jazz, look no further. Cooper, Shank and company provide a cornucopia of tasty, as well as unique, jazz for an immaculately hip listening session.
Tony Horowitz

Howard Rumsey is a bassist, but he is best known as the leader of the popular 50s jazz group, The Lighthouse All-Stars. On "Oboe/Flute," also known as "Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars Volume 4," the "All-Stars" play jazz originals and standards with the unique frontline of, you guessed it, oboe and flute. This disc is split between two sessions. One-third of the CD (tracks 5, 6, 10 & 11) is from 9/25/56 and features Bob Cooper on oboe, Buddy Collette on flute, Sonny Clark on piano and Stan Levey on drums. The remaining eight selections are from an earlier two-day session in February 1954 with Cooper again on oboe (and on occasion English horn), Bud Shank on flute, Claude Williamson on piano and the great Max Roach on drums. Unfortunately both sessions are rather mediocre with the frontline producing a rather wimpy, easy-listening feel. The tunes with Roach on the drum kit have considerably more rhythmic backbone than the songs featuring Levey, but Williamson is no where close to being in Sonny Clark's league on the ivories. If only Clark and Roach had played together on this date, then "Oboe/Flute" might have been able to justify its "All-Star" billing.

This Lighthouse display is unique. That alone is worth a 4 star and it is consistent. Yes it is a bit easy listening but not all jazz has to edgy or on speed. Remenber this is West Coast literally and everyone probably had the ocean air lay them back a bit.