''George Russell Sextet in K.C.'' (subtitled ''Original Swinging Instrumentals'' and sometimes referred to by that name) is an album by George Russell recorded (despite the title) in a New York studio and originally released on

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

in 1961. The album contains performances by Russell with

Don Ellis Donald Johnson Ellis (July 25, 1934 – December 17, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. Later in his lif ...

, David Baker, Dave Young,

Chuck Israels Charles H. Israels (born August 10, 1936) is an American jazz composer, music arranger, arranger, and double bass, bassist who is best known for his work with the Bill Evans#After LaFaro's death, Bill Evans Trio. He has also worked with Billie Ho ...

and Joe Hunt. The

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

review by Ken Dryden states that "George Russell was at a creative peak in the early '60s as he recorded one memorable small-group session after another".

Reception

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' critic Richard B. Hadlock wrote in his June 21, 1962 review: "Russell, a kind of intellectual Thelonious Monk, has a remarkable little band that seems to get better with the passing months. It is about the most impressive assemblage of fresh young talent to be heard as a working unit anywhere."

Track listing

:''All compositions by George Russell except as indicated'' # "War Gewesen" (David Baker) - 6:19 # "Rhymes" (

Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936) is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera '' Escalator over the Hill'' ...

) - 4:27 # "Lunacy" (Baker) - 7:15 # "Sandu" (

Clifford Brown Clifford Benjamin Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He died at the age of 25 in a car accident, leaving behind four years' worth of recordings. His compositions "Sandu", "Joy Spring", an ...

) - 11:01 # "

Tune Up Tune up may refer to: * Service (motor vehicle) * "Tune Up", a Miles Davis jazz standard * ''Tune-Up! ''Tune-Up!'' is an album by saxophonist Sonny Stitt recorded in 1972 and released on the Cobblestone label.Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

) - 8:05 # "Theme" - 3:14 :*Recorded February 23, 1961 in NYC

Personnel

* George Russell:

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

, conductor *

: trumpet * David Baker:

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

*Dave Young:

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

*Joe Hunt:

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control 1961 albums George Russell (composer) albums Decca Records albums Albums arranged by George Russell (composer) Albums conducted by George Russell (composer)