Fred Katz Folk Songs for Far Out Folk cd

cd
2007/1959
new
Cellist for Chico Hamilton who got together with some jazz/studio players (Benny Goodman's brother Irving, for example) to make a slightly loungier version of the Hamilton sound. The interesting background of the tunes (Hebraic, African, & Bluesy by turns) are completely subsumed to the sophisticated & spritely jazz arrangements, making both the 'folk' and 'far out' parts of the title rather moot. This is a grand album however, with elegant & spacious use of vibes, bassoon, clarinet, & so on that works like a springy, daisy-filled version of Gil Evans/Miles Davis 'Porgy and Bess' more than anything else. No wonder Fred Lonberg-Holm likes Katz so much. Tracklisting: Mate'ka, Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, Been in the Pen So Long, Chili'Lo, Ray's Nigun, Old Paint, Manthi-ki, Baal Shem Tov, Foggy Foggy Dew.