Ralph Burns Smolders
Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 12/08/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Ralph Burns' "Bijou" is another one of my Oldies/Collectables website finds. It features two 1955 sessions originally recorded for the Period label, "Spring Sequence" and "Bijou," featuring Tal Farlow on guitar, Clyde Lombardi on bass and Osie Johnson on drums. The pianist made his mark with Woody Herman, but these dates are far removed from that big band sound. Instead these songs offer quiet introspection, with remarkably subtle interplay between Burns and Farlow. Of all the Period label OJC reissues I have picked up, this is the most enjoyable by far. With this disc going out-of-print, interested parties should act fast before "Bijou" burns out."