The Mitchell-Ruff Duo - Plus Strings and Brass (1958)

The Mitchell-Ruff Duo decided upon a different approach for this 1958 session for Roulette, adding a string session and brass, along with veteran bassist Milt Hinton, and a young drummer, Elvin Jones (prior to his joining John Coltrane). An unusual medley kicks off with Jerome Kern's "Ole Man River," but quickly switches gears into a series of favorites by George Gershwin, though the strings bog down the proceedings at times. Ruff's lyrical French horn is the centerpiece of a waltzing treatment of Cole Porter's "Miss Otis Regrets," while Mitchell's piano solo is reminiscent of Oscar Peterson. "When I Fall in Love" is burdened by the overly dramatic strings, though the piece takes on a much more intimate tone when they fade. Although this LP doesn't reach the heights of the Mitchell-Ruff Duo's typical recordings, it is worth seeking out.

by Ken Dryden, allmusic

Tracklist:

01. Medley: Ole Man River (Kern-Hammerstein)/I Got Rhythm (Gershwin-Gershwin)/Fascinating Rhythm (Gershwin-Gershwin)/Bess You Is My Woman (Gershwin-DuBose)/It Ain't Necessarily So (Gershwin-Gershwin) - 9:17
02. Miss Otis Regrets (Porter) - 2:23
03. Old Devil Moon (Burton-Harburg) - 2:33
04. When I Fall in Love (Young-Heyman) - 4:53
05. The Thrill Is Gone (Henderson-Brown) - 3:40
06. My Ship (Weill-Gershwin) - 3:13
07. Black Is the Color (Trad.) - 3:02