The music on this LP recalls the airy "Four Brothers" sound that tenor saxophonists Stan Getz, Zoot Sims and Herbie Steward, and baritone saxophonist Serge Charloff, plied in Woody Herman's band of 1947. For this outing, Steward and Charloff exit, and four become five with the addition of tenor luminaries Al Cohn, Brew Moore, and Allen Eager. The set appropriately kicks off with Gerry Mulligan's "Five Brothers," a tune reminiscent of Jimmy Giuffre's original "Four Brothers" in its fluid and bouncy arrangement. Three other attractive and similarly disposed originals (one more by Mulligan and two by Cohn) complete the saxophone session from 1949, all featuring swinging statements by each soloist. A 1952 sextet date led by Sims and Cohn is also included, offering up another round of original and buoyantly swinging cuts, bolstered by lively contributions from trombonist Kai Winding and solid rhythmic support by pianist George Wallington, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Art Blakey. A fine release that nicely showcases the cool, proto-West Coast bop forged by both these soloists and Miles Davis.

Before he retired from music in 1960, pianist George Wallington led a series of excellent bop-based quintet albums. For this particular CD Wallington heads a group featuring altoist Phil Woods, trumpeter Donald Byrd, bassist Teddy Kotick and drummer Nick Stabulas. With the exception of the standard "Indian Summer," the repertoire is pretty obscure (with now-forgotten originals by Byrd, Woods and Mose Allison in addition to "Graduation Day") but of a consistent high quality. The emphasis is on hard-swinging and this set should greatly please straightahead jazz fans.

Born Giacinto Figlia in Palermo, Italy in 1924 the young George Wallington was schooled in opera and the classics by his father and had moved to New York City by 1925. It was hearing Lester Young playing in the Basie band that led to him to get involved in the New York jazz scene where he soon found himself accompanying Billie Holiday at George’s club in Greenwich Village and perhaps more unlikely also playing opposite Liberace in Philadelphia! Wallington was back in New York when Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie set the place on fire with a new sound called Be Bop. Although he had arrived at his style independently he was likened to Bud Powell and he became one of the few white musicians to be invited to play what was essentially a black musical movement…