On "Young Warrior, Old Warrior," Mapleshade, baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett lays down a free run here and there, but mostly travels on or near the line between in and out with a sometimes sextet that sounds like it got a lot out of playing together. Their reading of Dizzy Gillespie's "Blue 'N Boogie" has a relentless groove straight out of Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band and that's high praise from this writer.
There's some Mingus in the disk, too, like "Bari-ed Treasure," not surprising since trumpeter and longtime Mingus sideman Jack Walrath wrote the piece for Bluiett, according to the liner notes. It's an excellent showcase for the big horn and the guy behind it, and Walrath gets some as well. "Blues in F and G" captures the essence of hard times, like these, employing nothing more than Bluiett's horn and Keter Betts' legendary bass. Bluiett lets loose on the free duet "Jimmy and Me" with equally legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb. My buddy Carl Abernathy gave me this for Xmas and it was a good choice.
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