Title: Superb jazz by a consummate musician
Product review: Jimmy Raney plays beautifully on all his recordings, and I believe that this recording is probably his best. As always, his technical skills are extraordinary - each note sounds clearly, his articulation is perfect even on almost Bird-like runs taken at lightening speed, his ballad playing maintains just the right balance between speed and emotion. The distinguishing characteristic of this album is the extraordinary empathy between Raney and his sidemen, and the complexity of the harmony and counterpoint that they create. When he's not soloing, Raney voices his guitar like a second or third horn, playing intelligent single note harmonies and countermelodies while the horns have the lead. His note choices in these instances are flawless - it's obvious that he was really paying attention during his time in Woody Herman's big band, because this small group sounds really big most of the time.This recording is an extradinary example of musicianship at its best.
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