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Kenny Dorham Quintet
Original Jazz Classics/Universal Music; Rs. 295 (CD)
Into a much too brief life (1924-1972), Kenny Dorham packed enough creative activity, as both a composer and a trumpeter, for perceptive fans to remember him by, no matter that he did the bulk of his work under the leadership of others, many of them
superstars of the jazz firmament. He was 29 when this album, his first as a leader as its “introducing” title implies, was recorded.
Supporting Dorham here (who also shows he has a serviceable singing voice to the last two tracks) are Jimmy Heath on tenor and baritone saxophones, Jimmy’s brother Percy on bass, Walter Bishop on piano, and Kenny Clarke on drums. All but Bishop went on to become bigger stars than Dorham, a reflection less of superior talent than of the fickleness of even the jazz market.
On this album, everyone emerges with equal credit, but all the others play a more supporting role to Dorham’s trumpet. Its beautiful and warm tone is a highlight, often the only highlight, of all the tracks, and only he contributes solo improvisations to all of them. His improvisation is especially creative on “An Oscar for Oscar”, his own composition, and “Ruby My Dear” (written by Thelonious Monk).
Jimmy Heath and Bishop take the bulk of the remaining solos, Heath coming out strong on the tenor sax. A short series of exchanges between Dorham, Jimmy Heath and Clarke after solos by Dorham, Heath and Bishop is a highlight of “An Oscar for Oscar”. At the time, the infancy of LP recording, tracks were still short (three to four minutes long), so 11 pieces are packed into just under 40 minutes. But within these constraints there is enough creativity on offer from Dorham and his band.
Miles Davis: At Last! (with the Lighthouse AllStars)
Original Jazz Classics/Universal Music; Rs. 295 (CD)
Although LP recording was in its infancy in 1953, and recordings such as “Kenny Dorham Quintet”, reviewed above, were still made up of short tracks, we have in “At Last!” an album taken from a recording in the same year with s
ome 40 minutes of music spread out over just five tracks, including one that runs for nearly 12 minutes. It turns out from the liner notes that the tape of a live performance was lying around forgotten for over three decades before someone decided to make it public.
The Lighthouse was an ocean-side bar in California whose owner had been presenting terrific jazz for some years, long enough for the resident band to acquire the well-deserved name in the album title. Miles Davis, still growing into the superstar of later years but already quite famous, dropped by and jammed with the All-Stars, as did the pianist, Lorraine Geller.
The impromptu nature of the session is evident from the fact that there is another trumpeter, the All-Stars’ regular Rolf Ericson. Besides, one track , “Drum Conversation”, is entirely a drum solo by Max Roach, and the last track, also the title track, is taken from a different jam session on the same day with Chet Baker on trumpet and Russ Freeman on piano.
Except for Roach, who had just joined them, the All-Stars were all-white at a time when integrated bands were still somewhat uncommon. Bud Shank on alto and (for part of a track) baritone saxophones, Bob Cooper on tenor saxophone, and Howard Rumsey on bass, the current leader of the All-Stars, made up the rest of the band. Shank went on to the greatest fame from among them, but all the musicians were accomplished enough to justify the renown of the All-Stars. It would be tempting to single the blacks Davis and Roach out as the stars of this album, and certainly Davis is in good form, but that just wouldn’t do justice to the others.
There is little to choose between Davis and Ericson, for instance, but for the fact that Davis gets more prominence on the themes.
The 12-minute “A Night in Tunisia”, one of the highlights of the album, has him on the theme, in the first solo and in the finale at the end, but Shank, Ericson, Cooper, Geller and Roach contribute solos in between. It also starts with intros by solo drum and then piano.
Roach’s drumming is top-drawer, and the other highlight of the album, “Drum Conversation”, brings him into the limelight for nearly four minutes. It’s a portent of many solo drum tracks to follow over a long career which, after his death, I had the bittersweet duty of chronicling in Metro Plus on August 29 last year. Roach by himself gave me enough value for money on this album.
JAZZEBEL
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