Jazz Archives

This is one of the most unusual and in its own way, experimental albums that Stan pulled off in his long career. Giving Eddie Sauter complete freedom to write a series of tone poems in which he left Stan lots of room to create and improvise on the fly is a stroke fo genius by itself, Stan had NO written parts for himself whatsoever, just his wits, emotions, technique, life experiences and perceptions. Needless to say he navigated these deep waters with extreme intelligence, wit and sensitivity.
The moods run from manic and darn near cartoon like with "I'm Late, I'm Late" (kicked along by a great rhythm section of drummer Roy Haynes and bassist John Neves) to beautiful and contemplative ("Her", Once Upon a Time") to tense and spooky ("Night Rider") and overwhelmingly passionate ("Pan") plus more. The small string orchestra was a stroke of genius by itself and how if fits perfectly with Stan's sound and musicality.
This ain't no Bossa-Nova or straight-ahead swing, it's an entirely different animal altogether, one that if given the chance will grow on you and hold you spellbound, it sure did me.

Reissue, 1984. Originally released in 1961.
Recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, July 14, 28, and September / October, 1961.