Cool Modernism From a Clarinet Visionary
Giuffre's cool tones and relaxed improvising hint at folk themes while sounding remarkably modern.
Tangents in Jazz is Giuffre's second album, and it captures him settling into his own voice after early work in Los Angeles. By this point, he'd begun to move away from straight bebop toward something cooler and more compositionally adventurous. Nine of the ten tracks are his own, which tells you he was thinking beyond the standard repertoire — he wanted to build something distinctive.
The group is small and purposeful: Jack Sheldon on trumpet, Ralph Peña on bass, and Artie Anton on drums, all working in tight formation around Giuffre's clarinet and saxophones. The emphasis here is on restraint and space. There's no rushing, no show-off runs. Instead, Giuffre lets melodies breathe and solos sit comfortably in the pocket. AllMusic reviewer Scott Yanow noted the music's relaxed approach and how it hints at folk themes while maintaining a modern edge — a balance that wasn't obvious in jazz at the time.
This isn't a masterpiece that changed everything, but it's a solid statement from an artist finding his direction. The cool West Coast sound was developing around him, and Tangents in Jazz sits right in that moment. If you're curious about Giuffre before he got more experimental, this is where to start.
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