Woodwinds in the Round, Soft and Curious
A clarinet leading a floating ensemble of saxophones, flutes, and reeds—no piano, no guitar, just air and silence.
Jimmy Giuffre brought Jimmy Rowles on celesta, Shelly Manne and Stan Levey rotating on drums, and an unusual front line of woodwinds: Buddy Collette on flute, Bud Shank on alto flute, Bob Cooper on oboe, Harry Klee on bass flute, and Marty Berman on bassoon, with Ralph Peña holding the low end on bass. No piano. No guitar. The absence was deliberate—Giuffre wanted space around the reeds, wanted you to hear how Giuffre's clarinet floated above and moved through this soft, almost orchestral texture. The session was built on tonal color, not speed or chops.
What makes this record distinct from Giuffre's other early work is its restraint and its unusual instrumentation. Most modern jazz ensembles of the period leaned into bebop energy or cool school sophistication. This one leaned into something quieter—chamber jazz before that term meant much. Tracks move slowly, let notes breathe, let you hear the actual voice of each instrument rather than the flash. The celesta adds a bell-like shimmer; the stacked reeds create harmonies that feel arranged without sounding stiff.
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings gave it 3.5 out of 4, recognizing something solid and intentional. This is Giuffre early in his career, working out what the clarinet could do when you took away the obvious accompaniment and surrounded it with peers instead of sidemen. It's the sound of someone listening hard to what's possible when you stop playing loud.
Who's playing
Harry Kleebass flute
Marty Bermanbassoon
Ralph Peñabass
Buddy Colletteflute
Bud Shankalto flute
Shelly Mannedrums
Stan Leveydrums
Jimmy Giuffreclarinet
Jimmy Rowlescelesta
Bob Cooperoboe
Dave Pellcor anglais
Where next?
More by Jimmy Giuffre
All 20 albums →
The musicians on this record
The Drum Sessions 1975
Shelly Manne
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
The Bob Cooper-Conte Candoli Quintet 1995
Bob Cooper
plays oboe here
plays oboe here
♫
"If I'm Lucky" 1977
Jimmy Rowles
plays celesta here
plays celesta here
