Witch Doctor

Recorded live at the famous Lighthouse club in Hermosa Beach, this disc finds Baker playing well, if not very consistently, and features a shifting group behind him that includes, on various tracks, saxophonists Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, and Jimmy Giuffre; pianists Russ Freeman and the underrated Claude Williamson; Lighthouse fixture Howard Rumsey on bass; and drummers Max Roach and Shelly Manne. The sound quality is fair and the playing occasionally gets a little bit sloppy -- Baker's solo work on "Pirouette" is especially dodgy -- but there are some moments of real inspiration, including the band' s boppish up-tempo reading of "Winter Wonderland" and Manne's inventive percussion on the Latin-flavored Cooper composition "Witch Doctor" .