John Handy

Date: September 18, 1965
Release: Koch 3-7820-2
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There are certain transcendent moments of live improvisation achieved by only the greatest of musicians, where the sounds they play spontaneously light up unknown nerve endings in the heart of the entire audience. It is an unmistakable event, because when the song is over, there usually follows a long and ecstatic hush, just before the crowd regains self-consciousness and breaks into a sustained applause. Such an unforgettable event took place over 35 years ago at the Monterey Jazz Festival, when master altoist John Handy and his quintet took the stage and launched into a 27-minute version of “If Only We Knew.”

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