Nathan Mitchell Gentle And Smooth

Joni Mitchell was at a turning point 50 years ago. After making four acclaimed albums with Reprise Records, including her 1971 masterpiece Blue, she left the label to join the brand-new Asylum Records in 1972. Over the next seven years, Mitchell would record some of the most acclaimed music of her career while changing her musical direction by adding more jazz elements into her songwriting. The evolution culminated in 1979 with Mingus, her collaboration with jazz titan Charles Mingus, and her studio last album for Asylum.

Trumpeter Blue Mitchell is in excellent form on this very interesting session that has been reissued on CD. Mitchell is accompanied by a brass section, a rhythm section, and strings. The arrangements (seven by Tadd Dameron and three from Benny Golson) are generally quite stimulating, inspiring the trumpeter to come up with many fresh melodic solos. The repertoire includes two songs that Mitchell played regularly with the Horace Silver Quintet, a pair of superior Tadd Dameron tunes (including the title cut), and six standards. By varying tempos and moods, Dameron and Golson helped create one of the better soloist-with-strings jazz dates.