Doin' The Gigi

Alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce's last ensemble was an outstanding sextet called the Orchtette that featured trumpeter Richard Williams, vibraphonist Eddie Costa and pianist Richard Wyands. Active during 1960-61, the band has only been documented up to now on five tracks of of an LP for the Mercury label. This new Uptown CD provides further fascinating examples of the Orch-tette recorded in performance at Birdland and in two studio sessions from which nothing was ever released. Within a year, he had left the jazz world never to be seen again. These recordings not only provide high quality music in the hard-bop genre but also serve as important and revealing additions to Gryce's legacy.