Fred Katz
Folk Songs For Far Out Folk
Reboot Stereophonic


Don’t beat yourself over the head if you’ve never heard of cellist Fred Katz. This 86 year old Mensch was a member of the ground breaking 1950s Chico Hamilton band, which featured Jim Hall, Buddy Collette and Eric Dolphy. Katz was the one who introduced the cello to jazz; the Pacific Jazz discs he cut with Hamilton are legendary in their vision and originality. In 1959, he ventured out on his own, putting out this remarkable gem of Hebraic, African and American folk tunes. The Hebrew folk tunes feature some remarkable work by Buddy Collette (funny, he doesn’t look it) and Paul Horn on flute. The reflective American folk tunes like “Motherless Child” and “Old Paint” include legendary composer John Williams as the pianist. Such a deal! The music throughout the disc is surprisingly fresh, and holds up remarkably well after 2 score and 8 years. Any fan of Hamilton’s music will want this in his collection.


-George W. Harris