Gil Evans Orchestra - Out Of The Cool

(Impulse (USA) Monaural LP A - 4, recorded 1961)

This album amounted to a breakthrough for Gil Evans if not with the general public, at least in cogniscenti jazz circles. He'd already been recognized for his work with Miles Davis on "Miles Ahead and "Porgy And Bess", but that was doing arrangements for his friend Miles who regarded Gil as his own mentor. Here, he was free to try such ideas as two drummers (Elvin Jones and Charlie Persip playing simultaneously on "La Nevada", the longest track in the album at 15:33 minutes), and investigating the Lydian Concept of George Russell on "Stratusphunk". Again there's homage to Kurt Weill on "Bilbao". To achieve all this we have a fifteen piece lineup with John Coles and Phil Sunkel, trumpets, Ray Beckenstein, Eddie Caine, Budd Johnson and Bob Tricarico, reeds and flutes, Ron Carter, bass, Ray Crawford, guitar, Bill Barber, tuba and Tony Studd, Jimmy Knepper and Keg Johnson, trombones. Gil himself arranged and plays piano on all tracks.