by Ken DrydenBassist Red Mitchell's debut as a leader on the Bethlehem label finds him a solid quintet with pianist Hampton Hawes, trumpeter Conte Candoli, drummer Chuck Thompson, and saxophonist Joe Maini in an easygoing bop session. The leader's bass work is as potent as it was throughout his long career, whether on Hawes' fast-paced blues "Duff," or a loping treatment of "Ornithology." Mitchell's advanced composition, "East Coast Outpost," is especially noteworthy.