This crack sextet recording by
Buddy Rich is one of the long lost treasures in his vast discography as a leader, featuring a band he took on a State Department-sponsored tour of the Far East and Asia not long after the recording sessions were completed for this album. The band includes flutist
Sam Most, trumpeter
Rolf Ericson (who achieved his greatest fame with
Duke Ellington),
Wyatt Ruther (previously a sideman with
Dave Brubeck), vibraphonist
Mike Mainieri, and the somewhat obscure pianist
Johnny Morris.
Rich's pulsing drums are right in front in their aggressive arrangement of
Horace Silver's blues "Blowin' the Blues Away," in which each soloist seems stimulated by the musician preceding him. "Caravan" begins with the leader's thunderous solo, though it quickly softens with
Rich taking a backseat to
Most and
Ruther; the remainder of the band makes a delayed entrance.
Mainieri contributed the exciting blues "Young Blood," which showcases his best solo on the date. The vibraphonist is also the featured soloist in the mellow interpretation of "I Remember Clifford," where he is backed by the haunting blend of trumpet and flute, with
Rich staying very much in the background. Reissued as a limited-edition CD by Verve in 2005, this should be considered an essential
Buddy Rich recording.