I have two lps in the "Father of Modern Jazz" box set with the same crew except for Buck, and they're possibly "reigned" in but it seems all want to play this way, with elegance and beauty. I love 'em!
Yeah, I mean, how do you not love those guys, right? I hear ya'. But on this particualr album, there's a few cuts where they loosen up and play...uh, looser, and the rest sound kind of..."produced", maybe with an eye towards radioplay. 1968 had to have been a weird time to make a major label record like this. I know it's unreasonable to look at Milt Gabler & a date like this in 1968 and expect a Commodore-type 1940 thing, but still...not a bad record at all, really, just would have preferred just a teence a bit more looseness overall.
What is this 5 record Hines set, btw? What label was it released on? Is it all live stuff? I might need to go a-huntin' for that one!
MF Distribution. 3 LPs of solo, 2 quartet. I passed the damn thing up a million times for $10 at my old record store, fool that I am.