Windflower

Description

Originally released on the Concord label, this masterful 1978 meeting between jazz guitar giants has become one of the most collectible albums of its era. Herb Ellis and Remo Palmier (aka Palmieri) were contemporaries on the 1940s New York jazz scene, but they arrived at this recording by very different paths. Ellis's reputation grew steadily as he moved from sideman in the Glen Gray and Jimmy Dorsey orchestras to a pillar of the Oscar Peterson trio in the 1950s, and then to guitarist alongside Barney Kessel and Charlie Byrd. Palmier, meanwhile, had a meteoric early career, playing with Coleman Hawkins before appearing on seminal bebop sides (e.g., "Groovin' High") with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. But then health issues intervened, and Palmier spent the next three decades working as staff at CBS for The Arthur Godfrey Show. Eventually, after the show was canceled, Palmier returned to jazz circles but never really recorded much, making Windflower all the more a treasure. "Sublime" is the word that comes to mind, but you can substitute your own superlative; backed by George Duvivier on bass and Ron Traxler on drums, Ellis and Palmier bring an organic sense of swing, beautifully voiced chords, and lyrical head lines to titles such as "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," "Groove Merchant," and even "Danny Boy." Produced by Concord label founder Carl Jefferson, pressed on black vinyl.