the impulse collection / various artists

Styles: Avant-Garde, Bop, Cool, Swing, Fusion, Post-Bop, Hard Bop, Free Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Modal Music, Progressive Jazz, Standards, Big Band, Urban, Jazz-Funk, Avant-Garde JazzTaking in some of the best of '60s jazz, Impulse Collection: Best of, Vol. 1 brings together several of the giants of both swing and bop. Ranging from Art Blakey's high-end hard bop to Pharoah Sanders' heaven-bound experimentation, the 13-track disc takes in Gil Evans' symphonic swing, one of Charles Mingus' finest moments, and Johnny Hartman's mind-melting velvet croon. For his part, Coltrane is featured on a cut from the less-than-defining Ballads album and in tandem with Hartman, while veteran big band maestros Ellington (along with Coleman Hawkins), Basie, and Benny Carter bring the autumnal grace and power. Oh, yes, there's also prime work by Sonny Rollins, Oliver Nelson, Quincy Jones, and Ahmad Jamal. Anyone interested in '60s jazz should not hesitate to start here. ex cond