The music on this CD and the three others that have been released by Lone Hill Jazz that document
Bud Shank and
Bob Cooper's European tours of 1957 and 1958 are almost completely previously unissued. The recording quality is mostly excellent and this CD has two very interesting sessions. The first five selections, which include a four-song ballad medley, have altoist
Shank and tenor saxophonist
Cooper playing in a sextet that also includes trombonist
Albert Mangelsdorff (whose avant-garde days were more than five years away) and the
Joe Zawinul trio.
Mangelsdorff and
Zawinul both display their comfort playing bebop while
Shank and
Cooper are the main stars. The other five numbers showcase
Shank in a group headed by tenor saxophonist
Hans Koller; guitarist
Attila Zoller co-stars. One wonders why this valuable music went unissued for nearly half-a-century for it features all of the musicians in top form.
–
Scott Yanow, Rovi