by Scott Yanow
This is a true classic. Flügelhornist Clark Terry, who long has had the happiest sound in jazz, performs ten enthusiastic and generally hard-swinging songs with the Oscar Peterson Trio (which at the time included bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen). Terry is quite exuberant on such pieces as &Brotherhood of Man& and &Mack the Knife,& and even the ballads (&They Didn't Believe Me& and &I Want a Little Girl& among them) are full of excitement. This session, though, is best known for having introduced Terry's humorous &Mumbles& vocals, which can be heard on that piece and &Incoherent Blues.& This delightful and essential release has fortunately been reissued on CD.