My Buddy, Buddy
William Faust | Columbus, Ohio | 10/13/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Even though this is one of those expensive Japanese Verve imports, it's worth every penny as DeFranco does his magic. Drawn from the Norgan vaults and originally released as "The Artistry of Buddy DeFranco" in 1954, this masterpiece has DeFranco on his black stick in a quartet setting with Sonny Clark on piano, Eugene Wright on bass and Robert White on drums. The tunes are a nice mix of blues jam, ballad and up-tempo swing standards. DeFranco's rendition of Autumn Leaves as a balad is haunting. Well worth the wait and the extra jack and a must if you're a DeFranco fan or generally enthusistic about jazz clarinet."