Benny Bailey "Mirrors"

Benny Bailey

"Mirrors"
( LP Freedom Records, 1971 )
Catalog # FLP-40163

Also:
Reissued on Rearward/Schema Records, 2009
Catalog # RW132LP

Tracklisting:
01 Mirror
02 Effluves
03 Flunkeyania
04 Subumbra
05 Everything Happens To Me
06 At Ronnie's

Personnel:
Benny Bailey, trumpet & flugelhorn
Tony Coe, tenor sax & clarinet
Sahib Shihab, bariton sax & flute
Francy Boland, piano
Jean Warland, bass
Tony Inzalaco, drums
plus 12 strings section
Recorded at Cornet Studios Cologne - 11th September, 1971

Review:
An excellent early 70's set from Benny Bailey -- originally issued on Freedom, but recorded by Gigi Campi, with arrangements by Francy Boland -- and very much in the mode of work at the time on MPS. The session features Bailey as the lead soloist amidst bandmates from the Clarke-Boland Big Band -- including Francy Boland, Sahib Shihab, Tony Coe, and Tony Inzalaco. The smaller group's augmented by a string section that provides dark, but lush washes of sound -- dramatic texture that's perfect for Benny to blow blue solos over the top in a complicated way, but makes it sound easy. Francy Boland also conducted, and wrote a few of the tunes -- and titles include "Mirrors", "Flunkeyania", "At Ronnie's", "Effluves", "Everything Happens To Me" and "Subumbra". A beautiful set of somber, mellow work that gets in our soul -- and straight up wonderful!
© 1996-2009, Dusty Groove America, Inc.

By Rob