As the other reviewers have said this is a very enjoyable album. The best tracks in my opinion being Dorham's own compositions that take up about half of the running time. The recording is a Van Gelder stereo studio recording that sounds very fresh with the 20 bit re-mastering. This is not a bop recording, the band never breaks into a sweat and the pace is mainly a funky swing with the addition of a couple of slow ballards. The album retains an air of unruffled sophistication throughout with excellent playing from all 4 musicians.
December 9, 2003 |  | True masterpiece by an underrated bop genius |  |
I treasure this album for a long time.Because I always loved McKinley Dorham's amazing trumpet playing (he often sounds like he's playing a bugle,like another master,Clark Terry).There's a very special roundness,a curious sound full of dullness and comfort,and sweetness in his playing that has always seduced me in his approach of the very difficult art of blowing a trumpet.I feel like Kenny was nearer the great masters of the swing era than the other bop trumpet players.This session,recorded November 13,1959,and first issued as "quiet Kenny" with only 7 tracks ("Mack the knife" was missing"),is among the very great jazz records you have to own.It became complete for the first time on LP as "Kenny Dorham 1959"on Prestige 7754,in 1970.The quartet is a real all stars : Tommy Flanagan on piano,Paul Chambers on bass,and Art Taylor on drums."Lotus blossom" is a Dorham original,also recorded by Sonny Rollins as "Asiatic raes" on his "Newk's time" album on Blue Note.From the very beginning of this tune,what a perfect mastery and immense swing by Kenny Dorham! The great Tommy Flanagan (1930-2001) has a masterful solo.Art Taylor's drumming,as always,is superlative."My ideal" is certainly dedicated to Coleman Hawkins,who waxed an outstanding gem on this tune on December 4,1943.3Blue Friday",the longest track of this album (nine minutes long),is a very great blues,a minor keyed one,in the manner of Horace Silver,or Elmo Hope.Kenny builds his solo,during many choruses,with total mastery,with some reminiscences of Red Allen and Buck Clayton,and comes close to Tommy Fruscella's playing."Alone together" is one of the most dramatic and wonderful standards ever composed,and Kenny's short version ranks among the best renditions of this tune.His playing on this tune reminds me so much of Billie's vocals on this masterpiece.And it reminds me so much of Tadd Dameron's works.Please,listen to Tadd Dameron ! Chamber's walking bass introduces "Blue spring" (aka "Blue spring shuffle");another hard-bop blues,a kind of marching blues in the Jazz Messengers' manner.The rare "I had the craziest dream" is another gem by Kenny Dorham,and yes,he reminds me more and more of the great Clark Terry (born 1921)."Old folks" is the splendour you know,and nobody could miss such a tune.Kenny makes it his own,and swings lightly through the theme.Finally,the famous theme by Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht,Satchmo's anthem,"Mack the knife" (also recorded as "Moritat" in a definitive session by Sonny Rollins),closes this extraordinary album.Don't miss it,this is a very important record in the jazz history,maybe Kenny Dorham's greatest record.An immense source of joy,between bebop and classic swing,a great work of art.
February 28, 2002More reviews at Amazon.com ...
