Scrutinizing the contents of this reissue, the words ‘bottom’ and ‘barrel’ come to mind. Listen To The Music of Jerry Wald is actually the second of two albums on which the prehistoric Evans played sideman to swing-style clarinettist Wald (the first, rarer one was a 10-inch LP). Despite three or four very brief solos by our man, the results fall very squarely into the 1950s category of ‘mood music’, which is less interesting even than what we now call ‘lounge’. The opening material by prolific session-man Elliott is marginally more jazzy, though the participants do their best to keep it hidden, amply assisted by the vocal sextet. Still, if you're curious to hear what Evans sounded like playing fills (and a boppish eight-bar solo) on the celeste, track nine is the place to go. And this is the kind of commercial work he was doing less than three months before joining Miles Davis.