Ross is surely the world's greatest 5-string jazz viola player. That he may be the only 5-string jazz viola player doesn't detract from his ability to swing the oft maligned instrument. Those who rank the viola alongside the banjo, oboe and accordion obviously hadn't heard Jimbo. He gets a mellow sound that doesn't grate like violins sometimes do. The extra string means he can stray into violin territory should he wish to do so. Perhaps if children began learning on a suitably sized viola rather than a violin the parents would be more tolerant towards their early strivings. Just a thought.
With his four associates reading from the same hymn sheet the quintet take a modern look at some bop and post bop classics. It doesn't sound dated nor pretentious - not in the slightest. These are musicians playing instruments not twiddling knobs or dancing on pedal boards crammed with distortion units. The way it was then so it is now!
Thirteen tracks by the best in the bebop business - Monk, Silver (3); Dizzy, Evans (2); Lewis, Miles, Golson (1). I can't recommend this high enough. Listen to just one track - any one track and you'll be convinced. Boppers of the world unite. Lance
Groovin' High; In Walked Bud; A Night in Tunisia; Peri's Scope; Afternoon in Paris; Nica's Dream; Juicy Lucy; Ba-Lue Bolivia Ba-lues-Are; Whisper Not; I Mean You; Gloria's Step; Solar; Nutville
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