Gabe Baltazar was one of the last significant soloists to graduate from the
Stan Kenton Orchestra. Because he has spent much of his career living in Hawaii and has recorded relatively little, he has been underrated for the past 30 years. This out-of-print LP, his debut as a leader, features
Baltazar's alto in front of a big band with strings, playing a program mostly arranged by
Don Menza. It is a good but not quite definitive showcase for
Gabe Baltazar, one of the few he has had on record as a leader to date.
–
Scott Yanow, Rovi