Magic Touch
Author of modern jazz anthems like "Hot House" and "Our Delight," Tadd Dameron was among the finest composers produced by the bop movement, and certainly its greatest orchestrator, able to give a big band the litheness of a quintet or the sonic breadth of a large orchestra. His struggle with narcotics took an enormous toll, however, including imprisonment, and recording opportunities were few. This one from 1962 is among the finest products of his later career, with a big band of outstanding musicians playing some of his strongest charts, from the gorgeous trumpet sonorities of "Fontainebleau" to the pure bop of "Our Delight." Trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, and pianist Bill Evans are among the gifted soloists, and the band is driven through its paces by Philly Joe Jones, a truly great big band drummer (though he seldom assumed that role) and a longtime Dameron associate and supporter.--Stuart Broomer