Search - Billy Mitchell :: This Is Billy Mitchell (Dig)

Great lyrical hard bop from an underrated tenor great

J. A. Stewart | NH, USA | 08/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tenor saxophonist Billy Mitchell is not a familiar name to the average jazz fan and at least part of that has to do with the fact that he spent much of his career playing in big bands. Stylistically he was a bopper, although his tone points to the influence of the big-toned, swing-era saxophonists. He was a player with an instantly recognizable sound, something that only the best players in jazz have attained.Among the sideman are Bobby Hutcherson on vibes (I believe this was his first recording), and on about half of the tracks, trumpeter Dave Burns. On this recording, Hutcherson takes a back seat role for the most part, only soloing on a few tracks. Dave Burns is probably even less well known than Mitchell. Burns can also be heard prominently on several of James Moody's Prestige recordings from the mid-50's. He was a good hard bop player, but did not stand out among the great ones at the time. The rhythm section consisted of Sleepy Anderson on organ or Billy Wallace on piano, Herman Wright on bass, and Otis Finch on drums. Sleepy Anderson recorded several Prestige albums with Gene Ammons. The rest are unknown to me, but they play well enough. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this disc if you are a fan of hard bop. Since there isn't much currently available with Billy Mitchell either as leader or sideman, I would also recommend these discs:
Lee Morgan/Wynton Kelly - Dizzy Atmosphere
Thad Jones - Detroit-New York Junction (out of print domestically, although it may still be available as an import.)
Dizzy Gillespie - At Newport"