Sonny Red, a fine altoist inspired by
Charlie Parker and
Jackie McLean, never really made it in jazz, and some of his recordings are rather uninspired. However, that does not hold true for his Blue Note album, which has been reissued on this 1996 CD along with five previously unissued selections.
Red, who is joined by pianist
Wynton Kelly, either
Sam Jones or
Paul Chambers on bass, and either
Roy Brooks or
Jimmy Cobb on drums, never sounded better on records. He performs mostly little-known standards (along with six of his originals) and displays a fair amount of originality and a great deal of potential that was never really fulfilled. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow