1961
Clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre’s trio with bassist Steve Swallow (on upright!) and pianist Paul Bley originally released the music collected here on Verve. However, these buried treasures (Fusion and Thesis, both from 1961) never saw the light of digital day until ECM remixed them in 1990 at Oslo’s famed Rainbow Studio. Creating free jazz above and beyond what many of their contemporaries were doing, these artisans effervesce their way through a range of material, from Carla Bley and Gordon Jenkins to Giuffre himself. The latter makes up the lion’s share, each tune a vehicle for his enviable tone. Essential listening.