Smoke, Swing, and Tenor Heat
Arnett Cobb turns up the heat in a sharp, swinging Prestige trio session.
Sizzlin' opens with the kind of warm, unfussy swing that a tenor saxophone and a rhythm section can make when nobody is trying too hard. Arnett Cobb plays with a full, round tone and a driving rhythmic push, and the band moves with easy confidence. The tempos stay lively, the playing is muscular without being showy, and the whole record has the feel of a good live night in a club with the lights low.
The lineup is tight: George Tucker on double bass, Red Garland on piano, and J.C. Heard on drums, all of them playing with a relaxed precision. Garland's comping is crisp and inventive, giving Cobb plenty of room to stretch out, and Heard keeps the time rolling with a lot of forward motion. Cobb himself is at his best when he leans into the blues-tinged phrasing that marked much of his work, and there are moments where he digs in and lets the tenor growl.
This is not a landmark in Cobb's catalogue, but it is a solid, enjoyable entry for anyone who likes hard-swinging small-group jazz from the early 1960s. Recorded in 1960 for Prestige and released in 1962, it sits comfortably among the label's mainstream output of that era. If you want a sample of Cobb in a straightforward trio setting, this is a good place to start, though the sessions he made around his big-band period give a fuller picture of his range.
Who's playing
Where next?
More by Arnett Cobb
All 22 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
