Recorded in 1955, this is the only album that Fruscella–a dulcet-toned trumpeter of great sensitivity–was able to make before his death in 1969; and in its original form, it was among the rarest of jazz collectors` items.
But all that matters, now that the album has been reissued, is the quality of Fruscella`s music, which seems to have grown more heartbreakingly beautiful with the passage of time.
Bearing some resemblance to the styles of Miles Davis and Chet Baker, Fruscella`s music was essentially his own, a meditative lyricism in which each note was so precisely and tenderly shaped that Fruscella often seemed to be singing through his horn.
A very ”blue,” melancholic player, Fruscella managed to avoid self-pity; and within his seemingly limited realm, he took a lot of chances, improvising with a passion and purity that still seems quite rare.
Another lost soul of the bebop era, tenor saxophonist Allen Eager is Fruscella`s key partner here, and together they made a music of permanent value.
