While trumpeter
Webster Young pays tribute to
Billie Holiday on this, his only studio date as a leader, the set is equally a tribute to
Young's musical role model,
Miles Davis.
Young has
Miles' soft-focus tone from the early to mid-'50s and, according to
Ira Gitler's liner notes, he is actually playing
Miles' cornet on the date. The similarities between the two players make this 1957 session a satisfying companion to
Miles' work circa 1951-1953.
Young is nicely matched here with tenor saxophonist
Paul Quinichette, with the two of them using a pleasantly blowsy approach to weave loose, discursive counterpoint around each other. Guitarist
Joe Puma distinguishes the set with thoughtful, understated playing that calls to mind
Kenny Burrell's own Prestige dates from this period. Pianist
Mal Waldron, drummer
Ed Thigpen, and bassist
Earl May infuse the performances with a cohesive, relaxed swing. They give each other lots of space, and
Waldron makes astute choices in his chord selection, phrasing, and comping strategies. The tracks comprise five pieces associated with
Holiday and one
Young original, written in homage to
Lady Day. True to
Holiday's approach, the mood is world-weary, bordering on bleak, but with breaches of light like those that would briefly suffuse
Holiday's songs. "Strange Fruit" is the one track that misses the mark. Where
Holiday allowed the stark irony of the lyrics to carry the song,
Young's instrumental version labors the point by including an execution squad drum roll. This could have been effective had it been limited to the intro and ending, but when
Thigpen's martial snare also crops up midsong it breaks the subtle, macabre atmosphere of the piece. ~ Jim Todd