1.“Tenors West” from Tenors West by Jimmy Giuffre & The Marty Paich Octet (1955)
The three-tenors-and-baritone sax sound was first introduced in 1947 by Woody Herman and His Orchestra in their smash hit “Four Brothers”. It was then reintroduced in 1955 by Marty Paich for his Tenors West recording. Who better for him to have recruited for this project than the composer of “Four Brothers”, tenor saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre; alongside an octet comprised of some of the finest players in California, including Bob Cooper and Conte Candoli. Although the writing was solely tackled by Paich, the album is as much Giuffre’s, with the bulk of the improvising falling on the tenorist – an important reminder that his playing, though overshadowed by his aforementioned composition, is among the finest of any era. My choice, the title track, composed by Paich himself, opens the album and superbly sets the tone to come.