Billboard : 03/02/1957
Score of 79

Another interesting, enjoyable jazz volume in a generally excellent ABC-Paramount jazz release. Ten medium-big, all-star tracks here, arranged mostly by Lucky Thompson and Gigi Gryce in swingin’ modern manner. The ensemble doesn’t vary dynamics much, but the great solos provide enough variety. Pettiford is magnificent, as usual, on bass and cello, and there is startling stuff from such as Art Farmer, J. Cleveland, Gryce, Thompson and an amazing French horn battle between Julius Watkins and the newcomer David Amram. Jocks might take a listen to Thompson’s beautiful Deep Passion. This one merits display and recommendation.

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Miami Herald (Miami, FL)
Fred Sherman : 04/28/1957

Only reservation about Oscar Pettiford’s new album is the one this bass player left in Okmulgee, Okla. The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi (ABC-Paramount 135) is about as good a big-sound jazz album as you are going to find around these days.

Rhythm section backed by Osie Johnson’s drumming keeps things moving. Too many stars on the bandstand to name them all, but you have men like Ernie Royal, Lucky Thompson, who did most of the arranging with Gigi Gryce, Art Farmer, Jimmy Cleveland and Jerome Richardson.

There’s some brilliant writing here. And throughout, you have Pettiford throbbing and skipping, suiting his strings to the mood. Don’t miss his work with Janet Putnam’s harp on a Pettiford piece called The Gentle Art of Love.

This, people, is a jazz gem.

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Pasadena Independent (Pasadena, CA)
George Laine : 07/27/1957

The thing that sells this album for me is the very thing that liner writer Kenneth Lee Karpe claims the LP doesn’t do-it keeps bassist Pettiford in proper relation to the band, breaking him occasionally into the front for a solo but largely making him, as he has been for more years than I care to recall, a solid, rigid backbone for such bands as Barnet, Eldridge, Gillespie, Duke and some others. He hasn’t changed one whit. Still an inventive pace-setter for the bass followers, Oscar also gives the jazz cellist crowd something to go on. It’s a great LP – with Gigi Gryce tearing into Not So Sleepy (a salute to Southland deejay Sleepy Stein) and Lucky Thompson rendering a particularly forceful version of Perdido.

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Washington Post (Washington, DC)
Paul Sampson : 03/31/1957

A lustrous set by an accomplished group that is equally at home with swinging tunes and complex scores. The arrangements—mostly by Gigi Gryce and Lucky Thompson—are more than glib frameworks. They show an active imagination and appreciation of, but not intoxication with, the possibilities of a large band. Highly recommended.

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Wichita Falls Times (Wichita Falls, TX)
Bob Herdien : 03/17/1957

Oscar Pettiford subordinates his fine bass work to that of a stellar group on The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi (ABC-Paramount 135), a lusty set of light arrangements featuring such as Lucky Thompson, Ernie Royal and Jimmy Cleveland. Fine jazz throughout, three are Pettiford originals. Gentle Art of Love, arranged by Thompson and penned by Oscar, is a beautiful piece of work, using bass and harp together. Falcon’s Lair, a driving original, features Royal and Thompson. Oscar’s best work in a long, long time.

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Down Beat : 03/21/1957
Ralph J. Gleason : Five stars

When I first heard this album, I wanted to stand up and cheer. It represents exactly what should be the ideal in large group recordings. The arrangements – all originals by Pettiford, Mat Mathews, Horace Silver, Gigi Gryce, and Thompson – are tight but loose enough for creative blowing, the solos are all clean, the ideas provocative and frequently exciting.

The performance, by the soloists and by the orchestra as a whole, is crisp, swinging, and yet earthy and vital. This easily could be a lasting LP.

One of the best things about it is the more you play it, the better it sounds. There is depth here, and a greater perspective in writing than most new large group scores. Total color is not neglected for strength, and there is a continual churning of ideas and effects throughout almost every number. This is the sort of performance that can be carried off only by a group that has melded together over a period of time or by an assembly of top-notch musicians with an instinctive feeling of oneness both with each other and with the music.

Thompson takes several intriguing solos, chief among them on Pendulum and Deep Passion. Royal plays beautifully on Nica’s, and Farmer contributes several very bright spots, especially a solo on Speculation. Cleveland solos very well on the same tune.

Richardson’s flute is delightful on Not So Sleepy, in which the cello creates an eerie effect. The use of the harp on both The Gentle Art of Love and Pendulum comes off quite well, and the two French horns get an intriguing sound on Two French Fries and on Perdido.

The latter track is especially noteworthy for Pettiford’s work, too.

Throughout, the solos of Pettiford and his driving pulse for the band make the album continuingly interesting. The entire rhythm section is excellent all the way.

The writing is exceptional on this album. Gryce’s tune, Smoke Signal, is a real wailer; Deep Passion is a lush excursion into lyricism with a bright change of pace in the middle, and Sunrise-Sunset is as interesting a piece of descriptive music as there is in jazz.

The commissioning and recording of this sort of album is something to be encouraged by-and to bring encouragement to-everyone concerned with jazz. These are among the most important new writers in this field, and their work here is of an exceptionally valuable nature.

It is unfortunate that the high caliber of this entire project did not allow for sufficient checking between Kenneth Karpe’s excellent notes and the tune and composer listings. There are several muddy spots.

Mitchell is listed in one place as playing only on Smoke Signal and in another as playing on five other tunes. The composer of Two French Fries is given as Gryce in the notes and as Sears in the personnel box. This is a minor point, however, and should not interfere with the fact that this album should be in everyone’s collection right now!

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Liner Notes by Kenneth Lee Karpe

The irrepressible Oscar Pettiford is one of the few jazz musicians who has actually become a tradition in jazz. This is not to mean that there is anything dated about his music. On the contrary, Pettiford always was and probably always will be a frontiersman. This is the nature of the creative musician. He helped give birth to “modern jazz” and he is still giving youth and vitality to this ever-changing form of music.

One reason for Pettiford’s important position is that he gave dignity and authority to the bass as a solo instrument. His conception is always so clear that, had he elected to play another instrument besides the bass, he would probably have distinguished himself equally as well on it. Nevertheless, it took the Pettiford personality and influence to make the bass (and cello) what it is.

The temptation to become personal when describing a musician seems more peculiar to jazz than to any other music. The music cannot really be separated from the musician’s personality. This is rightly so; for isn’t personality one of the prerequisites of jazz? Pettiford’s music gives a clear example of it. The lustiness and humor in his personality is clearly embodied in his playing. At the same time one can discover a genuinely pensive quality in his music that is not too easily discerned through personal acquaintance. Pettiford never lapses into reverie-his bass and cello demand that you listen; and so it is with the man.

It is relatively easy to recognize his playing. There is never any vagueness about what he is saying —he moves through every chorus with a definite attitude. His phrasing always bespeaks a beginning, middle and an end and there is an implicit strength in the rhythm even during a four beat rest. A good example of this can be found in the Lucky Thompson album where piano and drums are absent for some of the tunes.

One of the purposes of this album is to hit a median of tastes, not to sacrifice tight arrangement to blowing and vice versa, and to retain the maximum flexibility for an orchestra of this size.

The arrangements for the most part are by Lucky Thompson and Gigi Gryce. One hearing of this album is sufficient for a complete endorsement of these superb arrangers and musicians.

Smoke Signal, written and arranged by Gigi Gryce, employs a dynamic quality that is unusual considering the fast tempo. There is also an interesting variation of rhythm from 4-4 to 3-4 and 4-4 to 2-4. Oscar Pettiford conducts while Whitey Mitchell is on bass. This is the only track on which Mitchell plays. Solos are by Gigi Gryce and Art Farmer (with strong backing all the way by Osie Johnson).

Not So Sleepy was written by Mat Matthews, arranged by Gigi and inspired by Sleepy Stein. Here is an example of Pettiford comfortably embracing the cello. The cello track was dubbed afterwards and the instrument is fitted with tremolo amplification. Lucky Thompson’s solo is outstanding as is Julius Watkins on French horn and Jerome Richardson on flute.

Perdido becomes a new experience as arranged by Lucky Thompson and executed by Oscar Pettiford on bass and cello. It is a tour de force for the cello and an interesting study of comparative values with the bass. Here also, is an example of the rich qualities obtained by use of the two French horns.

Sunrise, written by Oscar Pettiford and arranged by Gigi Gryce, is a straight orchestral arrangement. Evident here are the colors and tones that have gradually become part of the growth of orchestras since the early days of Duke Ellington.

The Gentle Art of Love is an example of the fresh ideas that have gone into the making of this album. It was written by Oscar Pettiford and arranged by Lucky Thompson. The innovation here is the use of the bass and harp together. A charming Debussy-like sound is the result. It seems that in this case Janet Putnam on harp has more than replaced the guitar.

Pendulum at Falcon’s Lair, written by Oscar Pettiford, was named after a well-known mansion overlooking the Pacific ocean. The title is in keeping with the gripping, driving quality of the number. This well-rounded arrangement is punctuated by the bass introduction solos by Ernie Royal and Lucky Thompson and the unique closing of the harp.

Speculation, which was written by Horace Silver and arranged by Gigi Gryce, is an up tempo number based on a blues feeling, though not in blues form. The impressive tight ensemble work on this track serves to accentuate the soloists. Featured are Jimmy Cleveland, Lucky Thompson, and a beautiful solo by Art Farmer. Tommy Flanagan is notable for his opening and continued stride.

Two French Fries, written and arranged by Gigi Gryce is a perfect showcase for two excellent French horns. Those who dispute the use of the French horn as a solo instrument must give this a hearing. The first horn chorus is by Julius Watkins and the second by David Amram. Then they alternate four bars each; the orchestra, Watkins, orchestra, Amram, Watkins, Amram.

Nica’s Tempo, another all-Gryce creation, is a perfect example of good ensemble work integrated with improvised solos. This is a particularly engaging tune by Gryce written originally for a quartet. Ernie Royal is heard very much at home with high a’s and b’s and the lovely piano solo by Flanagan is exceptionally noteworthy.

Deep Passion is a Lucky Thompson original making full use of the deep, lustrous qualities of this orchestra. This is a slow-moving mood piece with an appropriate change of pace. Thompson’s solos show Lucky in full flower. He is expressive and moving. The accomplished Jimmy Cleveland makes his trombone a perfect complement to the tone of the number.