In the '60s,
Roy Haynes
had no problem keeping busy as a sideman/accompanist, but the drummer didn't record an abundance of albums as a leader.
Cymbalism
, which was recorded in
Rudy Van Gelder
's legendary New Jersey studio in 1963, is among the albums that
Haynes
provided for
Prestige
's
New Jazz
subsidiary. This session finds the drummer leading an acoustic quartet that includes
Frank Strozier
on alto sax and flute,
Ronnie Mathews
on piano, and
Larry Ridley
on bass -- and together, the musicians provide a
hard bop
/
post-bop
album that is fairly unpredictable.
gets off to a
modal
, somewhat
John Coltrane-ish
start with
Strozier
"Modette,"
one of the tunes that features
on flute instead of alto sax (his main instrument). But a more
Charlie Parker
-minded approach prevails on the
standard
"I'm Getting Sentimental Over You,"
which isn't surprising because
Bird
was among
's primary influences (as was
Jackie McLean
). Meanwhile, the exuberant
"Go 'n' Git It!"
doesn't sound like either
"Modette"
or
"I'm Getting Sentimental Over You"
; this
Mathews
number has a funky
soul-jazz
boogaloo
outlook and wouldn't have been out of place on an organ combo date -- the tune would have been perfect for
Richard "Groove" Holmes
,
Jimmy McGriff
, or
"Brother" Jack McDuff
. And after
"Go 'n' Git It!,"
changes moods once again with
"La Palomeinding,"
a melancholy
piece that finds him on flute once again.
, which
Fantasy
reissued on CD in 2002 on its
Original Jazz Classics
imprint, falls short of essential. Nonetheless, it's a pleasing, well-rounded effort that deserves credit for diversity. ~ Alex Henderson