The Mastersounds - Kismet (2022)

Kismet: A Jazz Interpretation by the Mastersounds (World Pacific WP-1243, 1958; reissued Blue Note CM series, 2022) stands as one of the most refined examples of the Broadway jazz-interpretation genre: chamber-like, restrained, and unusually rich in its source material.
The ensemble is led by vibraphonist Buddy Montgomery with pianist Richie Crabtree, Monk Montgomery on Fender electric bass, and drummer Benny Barth. For this session, guitarist Wes Montgomery — Buddy and Monk's brother — was brought in as a special addition. The entire repertoire draws from melodies by Alexander Borodin, arranged by Robert Wright and George Forrest for the Broadway musical Kismet, which won the 1954 Tony Award for Best Musical during its 583-performance run.
Monk Montgomery's use of a Fender electric bass was strikingly unusual for a jazz session of this period; its tone, combined with vibraphone and guitar, creates a timbral blend unlike anything else in the West Coast catalogue. The more restrained players — Crabtree and Barth — step back to let the Montgomery brothers carry the lyrical weight of the material.
The 2022 Blue Note CM reissue returns this quietly overlooked West Coast gem to circulation, restoring an album that sits at the crossroads of classical melody, Broadway glamour, and jazz improvisation — with the added historical significance of being one of Wes Montgomery's earliest recorded appearances.

Tracklist:
1-1 The Mastersounds - Overture: Not Since Nineveh / Olive Tree / Stranger In Paradise / And This Is My Beloved / Night Of My Nights / Sands Of Time [6:56]
1-2 The Mastersounds - Gesticulate And Rhymes Have I [3:01]
1-3 The Mastersounds - Olive Tree [5:13]
1-4 The Mastersounds - Not Since Nineveh [7:33]
1-5 The Mastersounds - Baubles, Bangles And Beads [3:31]
1-6 The Mastersounds - Fate [5:21]
1-7 The Mastersounds - And This Is My Beloved [6:28]
1-8 The Mastersounds - Stranger In Paradise [4:57]