Blue Mitchell - Summer Soft (1978/2018)

Although there are some fine players on this LP (including trumpeter Blue Mitchell, pianist Cedar Walton and tenors Harold Land, Herman Riley and Eddie Harris), they are largely wasted on inferior material and commercial arrangements. Mitchell's great recordings were in his early days for Riverside and Blue Note. By 1976, major labels were rarely recording straight-ahead sets, and Blue Mitchell's talents and distinctive sound were misused on projects such as this one.