Personnel: Grant Green (guitar); Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Johnny Coles (trumpet); John Patton (organ); Ben Dixon (drums).

Tracklist

01. Am I Blue
02. Take These Chain From My Heart
03. I Wanna Be Loved
04. Sweet Slumber
05. For All We Know

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The partnership of Joe Henderson and Kenny Dorham yielded a handful of fine sessions for Blue Note in the early ’60s. Among them, Our Thing stands as a particularly excellent testament to their combined brilliance. Henderson’s second date as a leader, Our Thing is part of a triumvirate that includes his first Blue Note date, Page One, and Dorham’s Una Mas, representing the best of the pair’s recorded output of the period. Also sitting in on the session is the eclectic pianist Andrew Hill, who would use Henderson and Dorham on his own landmark date Point Of Departure.

Henderson and Dorham split the writing duties on this disc, with Henderson’s bopping “Teeter Tottter” included in two takes. Dorham’s reflective “Pedro’s Time” is reminiscent of the pastel-colored Latin pieces included on the aforementioned Una Mas. In contrast, Henderson’s blazing title track includes some of the disc’s most virtuoso performances. However, the most substantial track is Dorham’s beautifully crafted “Escapade,” a darkly lit, introspective melody with a melancholy groove that shows how hard bop could still retain its tender side while reflecting the turmoil of the times.

Personnel: Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Kenny Dorham (trumpet); Andrew Hill (piano); Pete Roca, Pete La Roca (drums).

Tracklist

01. Teeter Totter
02. Pedro’s Time
03. Our Thing
04. Back Road
05. Escapade
06. Teeter Totter (Alternate Take)

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Trumpeter Kenny Dorham was a significant presence in the bop and hard bop scenes, a musician whose distinctive, lyrical style had been apparent from his work in the late ’40s with Charlie Parker’s quintet. The year 1963 was especially good for him. He had just returned from a trip to Brazil where he had been absorbing the bossa nova, and he had formed a musical partnership with Joe Henderson, a powerful young tenor saxophonist whose rugged sound and coiling lines were an ideal complement to Dorham’s often subtler approach. This session is the first in a series of dates that would pair the two, and the fifteen minute “Una Mas,” a percolating mix of hard bop sonorities and a samba beat, was the first recorded example of Dorham’s distinctive exploration of bossa nova (his “Blue Bossa” would become a jazz standard).

Personnel: Kenny Dorham (trumpet); Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Herbie Hancock (piano); Butch Warren (bass); Tony Williams (drums).

Tracklist

01. Una Mas (One More Time)
02. Straight Ahead
03. Sao Paulo
04. If Ever I Would Leave You

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This 1963 album was an exciting, innovative fencemender that drew together the warring factions of the hard boppers versus the avant gardists. Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean’s roots reached back into the Forties where he learned from Bud Powell and Charlie Parker. On this album, he wedded swing with freer musical expression, and introduced four giants to the jazz world: trombonist/composer Grachan Moncur III, vibist Bobby Hutcherson, bassist Eddie Khan, and drummer Tony Williams, who at 17 years of age was a month from joining the Miles Davis Quintet. The music remains fresh and exhilarating to this day driven by a youngster’s masterful, innovative approach to the drums. An alternate take is added to the original album for this Rudy Van Gelder remaster.

Personnel: Jackie McLean (alto saxophone); Grachan Moncur III (trombone); Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Eddie Khan (bass instrument, bass guitar); Toni Williams, Tony Williams (drums).

Tracklist

01. Saturday and Sunday
02. Frankenstein
03. Blue Rondo
04. Ghost Town
05. Saturday And Sunday (Alternate Take)

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One of the most successful of Blue Note’s ‘blue’ period and an album that remains his finest work. Although his tenor sax occasionally grates, this is a brilliant example of late bebop. Supported by Bud Powell (piano), Kenny Clarke (drums) and Pierre Michelot (bass), the simple quartet sound coolly in control. ‘Willow Weep For Me’ is played with great beauty and ‘A Night in Tunisia’ is yet another well-crafted version. The wonderful bonus of ‘Our Love Is Here To Stay’ and ‘Like Someone In Love’ (from Powell’s Alternate Takes) on the CD reissue puts this album in the first division.

Personnel: Dexter Gordon (tenor saxophone); Bud Powell (piano); Pierre Michelot (bass); Kenny Clarke (drums).

Tracklist

01. Scrapple From The Apple
02. Willow Weep For Me
03. Broadway
04. Stairway To The Stars
05. A Night In Tunisia
06. Our Love Is Here To Stay
07. Like Someone In Love

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Eric Dolphy was a composer, arranger and instrumentalist in the vanguard of the new jazz of the early 1960s, leading his own groups and working with John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman. This posthumous collection of some of Dolphy’s rarer, more obscure works gives a fine summation of what he’d done and what he was capable of.

Vintage Dolphy features him in some unusual contexts. A piano-less quartet (“Half Note Triplets”), recalls the Ornette Coleman Quartet of that time, while a freewheeling jam session with a fascinatingly diverse line-up (Don Ellis, Benny Golson, Phil Woods, and Lalo Schifrin), swings the Charlie Parker standard “Donna Lee.” There are several pieces composed by Gunther Schuller (who is equally at home with both jazz and classical music) for small chamber ensembles–these address Dolphy’s interest in 20th century classical music, and his (and Schuller’s) desire to bridge contemporary jazz and classical forms. “Variants on a Theme By Thelonious Monk” is an interesting recasting of Monk’s concepts, with Dolphy’s tart, vocalized horn wailing over a small jazz group and an understated string quartet.

Recorded live at Carnegie Hall, New York, New York on March 14 and April 18, 1963 and live at Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York on March 10, 1962.

Tracklist

01. Half Note Triplets
02. Ode To Charlie Parker
03. Iron Man
04. Densities
05. Night Music
06. Variants on a Theme by Thelonious Monk – Intro & Theme
07. Variants on a Theme by Thelonious Monk – Variant I
08. Variants on a Theme by Thelonious Monk – Variant II
09. Variants on a Theme by Thelonious Monk – Variant III
10. Variants on a Theme by Thelonious Monk – Variant IV
11. Abstraction
12. Donna Lee

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Milt Jackson made a number of solo albums during his long tenure with the Modern Jazz Quartet is one of his best as a leader. With young pianist McCoy Tyner and tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath, Jackson puts together a great session, kicking off with his hard driving “Sonny’s Blues.” The leader’s percussive but swinging style, plus the potent solos by Tyner and Heath, are all appealing. The only reservation about this album is the deteriorated condition of the master tape from which it was made; it is rather noticeable on several tracks, though finding a mint copy of the original record is not a viable option for most collectors. Pick this one up in a heartbeat.

Tracklist

01. Sonny’s Blues
02. I’m Gonna Laugh You Of My Life
03. Spanish Fly
04. No Moon At All
05. Slow Death
06. Clay’s Blues
07. Lazy Melody
08. Project S
09. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye
10. That’s In
11. Ineffable
12. The Other Half Of Me

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A New Perspective stands out from most other Blue Note releases of the era. A groundbreaking record in its use of a gospel choir in a jazz setting, it’s unlike anything Blue Note had released before. In addition to the eight-person choir and arrangements by Duke Pearson, Donald Byrd works with a septet that includes pianist Herbie Hancock, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and saxophonist Hank Mobley.

Pearson contributes two compositions, the easily swinging “Chant” and “Cristo Redentor,” a stately, ghostly tune that became a hit on the album’s release. In the arrangements, the choir functions as an instrument, with voices closely recorded, making its presence intimate and palpable. The septet performs beautifully, with Burrell’s guitar and Donald Best’s vibes providing shimmering contrast to the horns on the aforementioned tunes, and on the Byrd originals “Elijah” and “The Black Disciple.” Distinctive and inventive, A New Perspective is a high watermark in Byrd’s discography.

Personnel includes: Donald Byrd (trumpet); Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone); Donald Best (vibraphone); Herbie Hancock (piano); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Butch Warren (bass); Lex Humphries (drums).

Tracklist

01. Eljah
02. Beast Of Burden
03. Crist Redentor
04. The Black Disciple
05. Chant

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Taking a step outside his Jazz Messengers ensemble, Art Blakey recorded a leisurely session for Impulse! In 1963 with friend Sonny Stitt and the then youngsters McCoy Tyner and Art Davis. Jazz Message, however, is not an insignificant session, but rather a grand documentation of the natural talent of these remarkable artists. Indeed, the session has the feel of a Sunday afternoon jam where four friends have come together to enjoy each other’s company and talents. The group’s loose approach, with little regard for any details save the music, gives the tunes a freshness that is sometimes lacking when arrangements are overly complicated.

From the opening romp of “Cafe” the energy flows freely as Blakey drives the quartet with his powerful drumming. Gershwin’s perennial “Summertime” is given an easy-going swing and provides a pleasant take on the often-overworked standard. Likewise, Tyner’s “Blues Rack” is a simple traditional blues that serves as a springboard for some fine blowing by all. Finally, the always uplifting “The Song Is You” is a gentle swinger that closes the session with a smile that, in the end, is the best message of all.

Tracklist

01. Cafe
02. Just Knock On My Door
03. Summertime
04. Blues Back
05. Sunday
06. The Song Is You

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As the title suggests, there is little about this disc that would constitute a safe approach to jazz. But then, alto man Jackie McLean never was one to take the easy path. The adventurousness of this set from 1963 hints of the changing scene at the time and McLean makes a bold statement here. Included in the adventure are the daring Grachan Moncur III, the equally confident Bobby Hutcherson, and the enterprising Roy Haynes. In all, this makes for a wild ride that opens the door to a new world of possibilities.

The hazy opener, “Love and Hate” sets the tone for the unusual session as the group provides a new standard for group improvisation. Things get stickier with the aptly titled “Esoteric,” a schizophrenic number that alternates from an unsettling waltz to burning bop with expert direction from Haynes. The epic “Kahlil The Prophet” is the disc’s centerpiece and a true masterpiece of modern jazz. The final blues “Riff Raff” ties the session to a close with a constantly repeating melodic motif that increases the tension before opening up to some stunning solo work by all. For those with a sense of adventure, this is the one to get.

Personnel: Jackie McLean (alto saxophone); Grachan Moncur III (trombone); Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Larry Ridley (bass instrument); Roy Haynes (drums).

Tracklist

01. Love and Hate
02. Esoteric
03. Kahlil The Prophet
04. Riff Raff

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