This two-fer combines two of trumpeter/flügelhornist Clark Terry's albums for the Impulse! label: 1964's The Happy Horns of Clark Terry and 1967's It's What's Happenin'. Generally considered one of Terry's best '60s outings, The Happy Horns of Clark Terry is a jaunty, swinging affair that finds Terry joined by such names as saxophonists Phil Woods and Ben Webster, bassist Milt Hinton, and others. Featuring a lively take on Duke Ellington's "Rockin' in Rhythm," Bix Beiderbecke's "In a Mist," and even an Ellington medley, the album is a must-hear for Terry fanatics.
Over the course of 11 previous albums, The Pineapple Thief have established a body of work that straddles the line between stirring, accessible indie rock and musically adventurous prog. Led by chief songwriter/guitarist/frontman Bruce Soord, TPT almost always work conceptually, framing albums in thematically linked compositions that never fall prey to excess or reckless self-indulgence…
Heavy electric piano from Masabumi Kikuchi – played here on two side-long tracks that really stretch out! The album's a live one, and features Kikuchi working with a sextet – a great lineup that features soprano sax, bass, and drums – plus some added organ and keyboards next to Masabumi's own keyboards – especially nice on one track that also features piano! There's a sensitivity to these tunes that's wonderful – a hint at the straighter Japanese trio mode that would dominate later in the 70s, but played with some of the best boldness that scene was bringing to its work at the start of the decade. Titles are both originals – "Yellow Carcass In The Blue" and "Dancing Mist" – both with a sound as evocative as their titles!