Jazz Blog Special: Gil Melle, 'Patterns in Jazz'

Grab baritone saxophonist Gil Melle's "Patterns in Jazz" if you can find a reasonably priced copy. The album is lovely.

On "Moonlight in Vermont," for example, Melle and his band color the melody with deep atmospheric strokes that probably sounded pretty revolutionary when the record was released in 1956. Their take on "Long Ago and Far Away" sounds fresh, too. Melle dashes through the tune, sounding like a deeper-toned Sonny Rollins.

Melle surrounded himself with pros for the session: Eddie Bert on trombone, Oscar Pettiford on bass, Ed Thigpen on drums and Joe Cinderella on guitar. All are great, but Cinderella's the one who stands out.

"Weird Valley," my favorite track on the album, features a gentle call and response between Cinderella and Melle. Cinderlla sounds cool and self-assured. I like "The Set Break," too, because the band swings so hard.

My only complaints about the album are the price (the only version available is an expensive Japanese import) and the length (37 minutes.) But I love the warm feeling of a good baritone saxophone and Melle, who was also a noted artist, was one of the masters of the instrument.

(Jazz Blog Special is a regular feature that examines older jazz albums worth checking out.