Many jazz fans have probably searched for this long out of print (except for a lousy bootleg CD reissued by Fresh Sound) record by
Benny Golson because of the promising list of musicians present: Bill Evans, Wayne Shorter, Eric Dolphy, Freddie Hubbard, and
Curtis Fuller, among others. But the disappointing fact is that these sessions have a rather tortured history. Initially after these small-group sessions were taped (not all of the musicians are on every track), an 11-piece pop orchestra was dubbed over the original recordings, playing the chord changes of the pieces on which each of the jazz compositions was based. This LP, Pop + Jazz = Swing on the Audiofidelity label, was evidently a total flop. Some time following Eric Dolphy's death in 1964, the original masters, minus the overdubbed pop orchestra, were released as Just Jazz! There are still several problems with this later issue.
Golson's arrangements are rather conservative and stiff, with the rhythm section proving to be rather stifled; neither are many of the individual solos very risk-taking. Only Dolphy's alto sax solo on "If I Should Lose You" has stood the test of time very well. Another major annoyance is that the horns frequently seem to have too much reverb added, making it sound as if they were recorded out in a hall away from the rhythm section and then mixed in later. The lack of attention to the packaging of the album includes a very boring front cover, misspelled names of musicians, an incorrect or incomplete list of composers, and, finally, "Groovin' High" and "Quicksilver" have their titles swapped. Collectors will, no doubt, still seek out this LP in spite of its flaws, but at least they have been forewarned before paying a premium price for it. ~ Ken Dryden