Even though this session was supposedly recorded in one day on April 14, 1957 we heard an anomaly that took us somewhat by surprise. The first and third track on side two sound amazing, better than anything on side one. However, the second track, You Stepped Out Of A Dream, has sound that is clearly a step down from anything else on the album. It’s smaller and more congested. Why that is we have no idea, but we felt it was worth pointing out.
Sonny’s horn on side two is especially big and rich, with huge amounts of Tubey Magic as befits an all-tube 1957 Blue Note recording. This is clearly the right sound for this music.
- Side two of this stereo pressing is at least Super Hot – it’s huge, rich and tubey
- Side one is Super Hot, musical, lively, clear and real sounding
- Another classic late ’50s RVG recording of some of the greatest Jazz Giants who ever lived
- “…a timeless session and a milestone in jazz history that gathered together some of the founding fathers of the post-bop era.”
Note that side one is not quite as tubey but makes up for it with energy and clarity that we found conveys the music beautifully. (more…)