Stan Getz plays with five different lineups on the recordings from 1954 and 1955 featured on Stan Getz and the Cool Sounds. The cool-toned, mellow tenor saxophonist starts off with four tracks accompanied by pianist Lou Levy, bassist Leroy Vinnegar, and drummer Shelly Manne, with the easygoing swinger "Our Love Is Here to Stay" taking top honors. Valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer is added to the mix for two quintet selections, both of which feature pianist John Williams anchoring two different rhythm sections. The very hot "Flamingo" finds Getz and Brookmeyer alternating choruses and engaging in intricate counterpoint, while Brookmeyer's "Rustic Hop" cooks at an even higher temperature, with both players inspiring one another to the top of their respective games. Pianist Jimmy Rowles, drummer Max Roach, and bassist Bobby Whitlock back Getz in a swinging take of "Nobody Else But Me" and the overlooked chestnut "Down by the Sycamore Tree." Trumpeter Tony Fruscella, who died far too young, takes Brookmeyer's place in two works written by the underrated trumpeter and composer Phil Sunkel, the mid-tempo "Blue Bells" and the boogie-woogie-flavored "Roundup Time." ~ Ken Dryden
