The 1959 sextet date displays attention to program and preparation too rare at the time. Trumpeter Blue Mitchell and a stellar group play compositions and arrangements by Benny Golson, a recognized master of the small-band format in his prime, and Jimmy Heath, a Philadelphia contemporary of Golson's and John Coltrane's who ended a lengthy recording absence and began his important association with Riverside on this session. Throughout the well-chosen and diverse material, and the heavy swing of a great rhythm section, Mitchell's horn remains a model of intimate and balanced lyricism. This was a milestone album for the trumpeter, and heralded his greatest years in the Horace Silver Quintet and on Riverside Records.
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