Everyone's in good form on these two sessions from the mid-'50s. The earlier 1954 set, though, is the more interesting. It teams
Modern Jazz Quartet alumni
Kenny Clarke,
Milt Jackson, and
Percy Heath with West Coast beboppers
Frank Morgan,
Walter Benton, and
Gerald Wiggins.
Jackson's spirited solos and strong presence in the ensembles make clear he is enjoying a change of pace from the austere formalism of
the MJQ. Altoist
Frank Morgan, too, comes to play, tempering tart
Parker-isms with sounds that
Jackie McLean, a
Morgan contemporary, was also exploring at this time. Section partner
Walter Benton counters with a rich, sonorous
Websterian fog, rounding out a horn section that has range, depth, ideas, and chops.
Wiggins, a commanding, understated presence, is in a role that would probably have gone to
Wynton Kelly or
Red Garland if the casting had not been for a West Coaster. Between them,
Wiggins,
Morgan, and
Benton further undermine the artificial and meaningless dichotomy of West Coast cool versus New York City heat.