Miami Herald
Unknown : 01/06/1957

If you go for the trombone in a big way, here are two albums worth a listen. One is Walkin’ Down, quintet music from Bennie Green. He duets with Eric Dixon‘s tenor sax. Others are Lloyd Mayers, piano; Sonny Wellesley, bass, and Bill English, drums. It’s a lively group. I like what the two horns do with Things We Did Last Summer. Only five tracks so you’ll find a great deal of line development.

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San Francisco Examiner
C.H. Garrigues : 01/27/1957

After several weeks of confining his attention almost exclusively to jazz of the new, modern, “quiet cook” variety, this reviewer has found an unexpected (and sometimes astonished) delight in in a handful of records – some new, some reissues – which go back a few years and, in doing so, demonstrate again how true it is that jazz is a continuous thing which, ever growing, ever changing, still manages to remain its own essential self.

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Another surprising set also comes on Prestige; it is Walkin’ Down, featuring the trombonist, Bennie Green, with a quintet with which I am not familiar. Bennie’s duets with tenor Eric Dixon reach some excellent moments, though the longer tracks, I fear, have more of length than content. You may not need this for your collection but you should hear it, at least.

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Liner Notes by Ira Gitler

After Bennie Green disbanded his traveling group he toured as a single during 1956. In the various cities that he visited, Bennie worked with local rhythm sections. His recordings, previously done with his permanent group (Prestige LP 7052), became more of the all-star variety such as Bennie Green with Art Farmer (Prestige LP 7041).

For Walkin’ Down Bennie has enlisted the aid of a local group (local to New York), one excepting pianist Lloyd Mayers, which did tour with him for a short while at the end of 1955. During 1956, the quartet under the leadership of Bill English, alternated between two Harlem nightclubs, Connie’s and Smalls’.

Dummer-leader Bill English is a native New Yorker, born here in 1925. He studied his art at Greenwich House in Greenwich Village and counts among his professional experiences stints with Sonny Thompson in 1950-51 and Erskine Hawkins from 1935-55. As for drummers he says, “I like everyone. Jo and Philly Joe Jones, Max Roach, Art Blakey.”

A Staten Islander by birth (1930) is tenorman Eric Dixon, who studied his instrument from 1946 with Peter Luisetti. Turned pro in 1950 and has been with Johnny Hodges in 1954 and Cootie Williams in 1955. Napes Paul Gonsalves and Eddie Davis as his favorites.

Pianist Lloyd Mayers is a Brooklyn born boy (1929) who started on violin at the age of 10 and switched to piano at the School of Performing Arts (high school). In 1951 he was with Eddie Vinson and after coming out of the Army in 1954 accompanied Dinah Washington before joining Arnette Cobb in 1955. Thinks Art Tatum and Bud Powell are just about it.

Bassist Sonny Wellesley, born in New York in 1925, started as a pianist at the age of 12 but learned bass at Commerce High School. he has been professional since 1946 with such groups as Coleman Hawkins, Hot Lips Page, Eddie Davis, Thelonious Monk and Mercer Ellington. In 1949 he worked with Art Blakey at Minton’s. Al McKibbon and Oscar Pettiford get his nod on bass.

East Of The Little Big Horn has solos by Bennie and Eric Dixon.

It’s You Or No One is medium up with solos by Bennie, Eric and Lloyd Mayers plus a conversation between Bennie and Eric.

Eric, Bennie and Lloyd are again featured on the medium But Not For Me.

The third standard, The Things We Did Last Summer, begins in its usual ballad tempo with Eric carrying the melody and Bennie playing obligato. Then Lloyd sets a new pace and the group takes it up to medium tempo with Eric and Bennie answering the ensemble. After Lloyd solos, Eric and Bennie come back for for length solos.

The title number Walkin’ Down is a tri-tempoed version of Walkin’, the blues which Miles Davis popularized to jazz audiences. After introductory statements by each of the hornmen, the group swings into up tempo with a solo by Lloyd Mayers. Bennie blows followed by Eric Dixon. Bill English’s drum break graduates the tempo to medium down and the Walkin’ theme is introduced. Eric solos followed by Bennie Lloyd then solos into another tempo drop with an After Hours bit. Eric plays his third solo, this time with a funky rockin’ beat behind him and Bennie follows suit. The Walkin’ theme is restated in a dirgelike manner and everyone files slowly out.