European Tour 1957

The music on this CD and the three others that have been released by Lone Hill Jazz that document Bud Shank and Bob Cooper's European tours of 1957 and 1958 are almost completely previously unissued. The recording quality is mostly excellent and this CD has two very interesting sessions. The first five selections, which include a four-song ballad medley, have altoist Shank and tenor saxophonist Cooper playing in a sextet that also includes trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff (whose avant-garde days were more than five years away) and the Joe Zawinul trio. Mangelsdorff and Zawinul both display their comfort playing bebop while Shank and Cooper are the main stars. The other five numbers showcase Shank in a group headed by tenor saxophonist Hans Koller; guitarist Attila Zoller co-stars. One wonders why this valuable music went unissued for nearly half-a-century for it features all of the musicians in top form. ~ Scott Yanow|