This has been said before, by me and many others, yet it needs to be reiterated: any Louie Bellson orchestra, simply on the strength of its leader's personality and popularity, starts with a built-in advantage. Along with the enthusiasm I mentioned earlier, Louie conveys a sense of humility and a lack of ego that have proved endearing to everyone who has been fortunate enough to work with him. To paraphrase an old remark made by Will Rogers: I never heard a Bellson album I didn't like. And Bellson heading for the 1990s displays the same contagious verve that marked his work in those great Ellington days when he was the hottest young drummer on the scene.
Leonard Feather