Search - Jimmy Giuffre :: Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet

Giuffre Rules!

David Gedalecia | Wooster, OH USA | 08/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the truly underrated jazz musicians in the modern idiom, Jimmy Giuffre occupies an important position as an innovative and experimental composer, to be sure, but he is, above all, a tremendously soulful performer. While this `50s album may be said to adumbrate Giuffre's monumental "folk-jazz" compositions on the slightly later "The Jimmy Giuffre Three," it stands on its own in terms of its unique contribution in the history of jazz clarinet playing. Almost a half century ago, Giuffre opted for "soft jazz" (no relation to the ersatz "smooth jazz" of today!), which on this disc is as powerful and moving as any jazz you'll ever hear."