by Jason AnkenyBlues and Other Shades of Green casts Urbie Green in a rare small-group setting, assembling a stellar quintet including guitarist Jimmy Raney, bassist Percy Heath, pianist Dave McKenna and drummer Kenny Clarke for a crisp, coolly efficient session that leaves just enough wiggle room to allow all of the individual contributors their moment in the spotlight. Green wields both the slide and the valve trombone here, and the simplicity of the arrangements affords his lovely, direct tone the perfect platform to shine--as its title suggests, much of Blues and Other Shades of Green boasts a melancholy atmosphere, and Green is unusually expressive in capturing the emotions that haunt material like "Reminiscent Blues" and "It's Too Late Now." Long out of print but finally reissued in 2007 on a two-fer CD alongside its 1956 follow-up All About Urbie Green.