Dave Bailey Sextet - Gettin' Into Somethin' - Vinyl LP

Vinyl LP

This LP was the second of three dates led by drummer Dave Bailey for Epic in the early '60s, all of which were recorded live in the studio with an invited audience. His supporting cast is a potent one, with trumpeter and flugelhornist Clark Terry, tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Horace Parlan, and bassist Peck Morrison.

This blowing session starts off with a foot-patting blues by Terry, the amusingly titled "Slop Jah." Terry co-wrote "Little Old Mongoose" with Archie Moore (the light heavyweight boxing champion who was also a musician and jazz fan); this up-tempo swinger features Terry's excellent muted solo and a carousing effort by Rouse, too. Terry also composed the brisk "Evad Smurd" (an anagram of "Dave Drums"), which seems to be a well-disguised reworking of "Oh, Lady Be Good"; Bailey actually takes a series of drum breaks, which is rare for him since he prefers time keeping to the solo spotlight. An extended workout of Horace Parlan's "Blues for J.P." has great solos all around, as well as Terry at first on flugelhorn and later on trumpet.

Ken Dryden