Of the many albums recorded by
the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra
, this was the greatest. Reissued on CD as part of a large Mosaic box set, this set introduced
Jones'
best-known composition,
"A Child Is Born,"
and also has a colorful rendition of his sly "Tiptoe," and finds the big band ripping the roof off during the lengthy and very exciting "Fingers." The all-star cast (which includes flugelhornist
Jones
, drummer
Lewis
, trumpeter
Marvin Stamm
, trombonist
Jimmy Knepper
, tenor great
Billy Harper
, the reeds of
Jerome Richardson
,
Jerry Dodgion
and
Eddie Daniels
, keyboardist
Roland Hanna
, and bassist
Richard Davis
, among others) is well served by
Thad Jones'
inventive and swinging arrangements. A classic. ~ Scott Yanow