Journey To Next

Album review

The music on this compilation was composed for the soundtracks of seven different animated films by John and Faith Hubley, though the music was created prior to the films instead of the other way around. Benny Carter contributed five of these soundtracks, employing a wide variety of stars, including Joe Wilder, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Ray Brown, Hank Jones, the Thad Jones and Mel Lewis Orchestra, Lionel Hampton, and Lawrence Brown, among others. Although it is brief, "The Cosmic Eye Suite" is very light-hearted. "Urbanissimo" consists of a series of themes and variations of the main theme, sounding like it might have been intended for a detective series. His "Harlem Wednesday," recorded in 1956, initially seems like a throwback to Duke Ellington's tone poems of the 1930s, though it ventures more into a swing mood at times. Appropriately enough, the orchestra includes at least three veterans of Ellington's band. The adventurous "People, People, People" showcases the Thad Jones and Mel Lewis Orchestra to good effect. "Adventures of An" puts the spotlight on Hampton in a swinging setting. Dizzy Gillespie's "Voyage to Next Suite" begins with a tense samba called "Prologue," featuring Frank Wess' haunting flute and Dee Dee Bridgewater's scat singing. "The Now" is a bit out there, even for Gillespie. Overall, Gillespie's individual pieces seem too brief to make much of a lasting impression. Quincy Jones' "Of Men and Demons" relies more on the use of electronic instruments, and seems rather disjointed, in spite of the presence of musicians the caliber of Jimmy Cleveland, Ernie Wilkins, and Pete Christlieb. It may be difficult to judge this music without watching the animated films associated with each piece. There are enough interesting moments to make it worth hearing at least once, though only Carter's works seem to merit revisiting.

© Ken Dryden /TiVo