- Format: CD
- Label: Fantasy
- Genre: Jazz
In an era where most jazz groups still adhered to traditional instrumentations, and even as successful a flutist as Herbie Mann was expected to double on a reed, this album was unprecedented. It features Mann exclusively on bass clarinet, from which he extracts a warm and woody tone that works well both on swinging tempos and ballads such as "A Handful of Stars." Mann recorded this session on the West Coast, which was equally unprecedented for Riverside Records at the time; and the band features the trumpet of Jack Sheldon and a rhythm section that worked together on record throughout the Fifties behind such stars as Bob Brookmeyer, Gerry Mulligan, and Ben Webster. Mann assures an East Coast flavor for this California conclave through the inclusion of blowing tunes by Tadd Dameron and Miles Davis.
Track listing:The Theme, Lady Bird, Get Out of Town, Is It True What They Say About Dixie?, A Handful of Stars, A Stella Performance, plus CD bonus track A Sad Thing
