PERSONNEL:
JACK SHELDON, trumpet
JERRY DODGION, alto sax
BARRY HARRIS, piano
RUFUS REID, bass
BEN RILEY, drums
New York, May 24, 1986
TRACKS:
01. Angel Eyes
02. Along Came Betty
03. Ne Quittez Pas
04. You Better Go Now
05. The Chase
06. Dear Ann
07. Wait And See
08. That Old Feeling
09. Follow Me
10. Just For A Thrill
11. Trane's Strain
12. No Trump
13. Nancy
Jack Sheldon-TV actor, antic vocalist and cut-up extraordinaire-also happens to be one hell of a trumpeter. Here, in a superb session from 1986, we get a telling reminder of just how compelling the Sheldon jazz persona is. It's a no-nonsense date with a challengingly off-beat repertory (Curtis Fuller's "Trane's Strain," Cecil Payne's "Follow Me" and Tadd Dameron's "The Chase," for instance), and a solid supporting cast of altoist Jerry Dodgion, pianist Barry Harris, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Ben Riley.
Whatever the tempo, and there are some scorchers, it's Sheldon's gorgeous tone and plucky melodism that impresses first, last and always.
Sheldon, of course, is one of jazz's most gifted balladeers, and in "Angel Eyes" we hear his great heart sing. Like Clark Terry, Sheldon is also a master of muted mid-tempo strolling, an appealing attribute brought to the fore in a bubbly take on "That Old Feeling." Throughout, the band cooks at a simmer apropos to the session's dialogic intimacy. It's serious fun at the mainstream summit.