Shelly Manne

One of the great small-group dates in the Impulse! book, and a quietly perfect one. Cut February 5 and 8, 1962, produced by Bob Thiele, with an across-the-generations cast: drummer Manne steering with the lightest touch, the mighty Coleman Hawkins in a late-career surge that reminds you exactly why he invented the tenor saxophone as we know it, Eddie Costa and Hank Jones trading the piano chair, George Duvivier anchoring the bass. The whole thing breathes - duet, trio, quartet, the group shrinking and growing as the music asks. Swing tradition meets modern improvisation without a seam, stretched-out readings of Take the "A" Train and Cherokee sitting easy next to the rest. Expressive, harmonically rich, time impeccable - relaxed on the surface, deep underneath. Essential Hawkins late prime and a longtime Impulse! favorite. Acoustic Sounds reissue from the analog tapes, 180-gram, gatefold. A keeper.