(Cool, West Coast Jazz) Jack Montrose - Blues And Vanilla & The Horn's Full - 2010, MP3, 320 kbps

Jack Montrose's first LP for RCA is a long-out-of-print collectable that is fairly obscure due to the paucity of jazz recordings that he made in the decades that followed this 1957 release. The cool-toned nature of the tenor saxophonist's compositions and arrangements fits in with the so-called West Coast jazz genre, though like many of the musicians labeled as such, Montrose is not a native of the region. The first section of his extended piece "Concertino da Camera (Blues and Vanilla)" is built upon a swinging blues theme that utilizes a call-and-response between the rhythm section (anchored by vibraphonist Red Norvo) and the saxophonists (Montrose is joined by alto saxophonist Joe Maini); the second part gradually integrates three separate themes with some wild counterpoint. The second side of the disc includes a quintet with guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Max Bennett, and drummer Bill Dolney joining Montrose and Norvo for several more originals by the leader and an inventive arrangement of Duke Ellington's "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" that incorporates a counter-melody against the main theme. Montrose's approach to "Bernie's Tune" also adds new depth to this favorite of '50s-era jam sessions.
~ Ken Dryden

[#1]
Jack Montrose - ts
Joe Maini - as
Red Norvo - vb
Buddy Clark - b
Shelly Manne - dr
Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, on November 13, 1956.
[#2-9]
Jack Montrose - ts
Red Norvo - vb
Jim Hall - g
Max Bennett - b
Bill Dolney - dr
Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, on December 24 [#2-5], and 26 [#6-9], 1956.
[#10-17]
Jack Montrose - ts
Red Norvo - vb
Barney Kessel - g
Lawrence “Red” Wooten - b
Mel Lewis - dr
Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, on September 10 [#10-13], and 11 [#14-17], 1957.
[#1-5 & 8] "Blues and Vanilla" (RCA LPM-1451)
[#6,7 & 9-17] "The Horn's Full" (RCA LPM-1572)