Don't come to this 1959 reissue expecting soft and soothing bossa nova sounds: jazz guitar virtuoso Charlie Byrd's collaboration with Woody Herman is full of compressed energy. Herman's big band punctuates Byrd's inventive solos with typically punchy horn and percussion arrangements in vintage style through a succession of hot sambas, only pausing for breath for the occasional ballad. The "Summer Sequence" pieces demonstrate both Byrd's dazzling technique and the band's sumptuous sound, particularly in the breathtaking final segment.
Tracklist:
1. Bamba Samba (Bossa Nova)
2. Original #2
3. Love Song Ballad
4. Prelude A La Cha Cha
5. Summer Sequence Part 1
6. Summer Sequence Part 2
7. Summer Sequence Part 3
8. Summer Sequence Part 4
Tracks 1 to 4: Recorded in New York, Dec. 26th, 1958.
Tracks 5 to 8: Recorded in New York, Dec. 24th, 1958.
Released 2005.