In retrospect, Giuffre’s image was always quite diffuse. From his early reputation as an arranger (and author of Woody Herman’s ‘Four Brothers’), he’d done both commercial session work and more avant-garde writing in the first half of the 1950s. Then, after success with this folk-blues-influenced trio (while still working as a commercial arranger) between 1956 and 1960, he suddenly had a Coleman-inspired conversion and, replacing Jim Hall with pianist Paul Bley, went into his own version of free jazz.

Fairly prolific during the late 1950s, the trio made several albums for Verve with a variety of bassists, and the studio set 7 Pieces (one of the less well-known ones) is the only one with the great Red Mitchell, who’d been first choice back in 1956 but was too busy with studio work to commit initially. All seven of Giuffre’s originals show considerable variety, while displaying a recognisable winsomeness, and Hall’s seemingly subordinate role is the real heart of the matter. As reissued, the seven have become eleven, with the addition of a live set done in Rome four months later, and it’s interesting that for variety Giuffre felt the need to include not only a piece by Hall but also John Lewis’ ‘Two Degrees East Three Degrees West’, and even a unique trio version of his hit tune ‘Four Brothers’.