by Dave NathanDave Pell formed his first octet in 1953. Among the members were Ray Sims, Don Fagerquist, and Ronny Lang, all drawn from the Les Brown Band. Now there is another version of the octet, whom this CD captures in live performance at Hollywood's Paradise Café. Actually there are two versions, with Bob McChesney and Bill Reichenbach and veteran Frank Capp and Don Williams taking turns in the trombone and drum chair, respectively. Barry Zweig drops by to augment the group of eight on such cuts as "Mountain Greenery." The group has changed, but not the basic West Coast cool style. The group still plays charts put out by only the best of arrangers. Here they use material arranged by the likes of Marty Paich, Shorty Rogers, and Bill Holman, all old friends. Monster and under-recognized trumpet player Carl Saunders is part of this group. He follows the same lyrical style of play that made Fagerquist one of the most in-demand trumpet players of his day. Saunders shows what he's made of on Pell's tune "Dance for Daddy" and on "Mountain Greenery." Longtime pianist Ross Tompkins gets a workout on this track as well. The opening track pretty much sets the pattern for the rest of the CD. Ensemble playing kicks matters off, then selected members come in for a short solo and the ensemble ends things up. Everyone gets plenty of opportunity to strut their stuff, just not on every track. The result is a set of performances which stay fresh and never fall into a rut. Unique charts played by a solid set of outstanding jazz artists make this album highly desirable.