Gigi Gryce - Nica's Tempo

Altoist Gigi Gryce is heard in two different settings on this LP-length CD reissue (which should have also contained his four slightly earlier quartet cuts for Savoy). Gryce heads a nonet using the same instrumentation as Miles Davis' Birth Of The Cool group. Four of the songs are instrumentals ("Kerry Dance" and three of the leader's originals) while "Social Call" and "You'll Always Be the One I Love" feature early vocals by Ernestine Anderson. In addition, Gryce is showcased in a 1955 quartet with pianist Thelonious Monk, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Art Blakey. Read More