Blue Soul

Trumpeter left his home in Miami for a short stint in New York City, headed back to Florida, and then to Los Angeles before his brief but vital career as a jazz trumpeter ended. This sojourn identified his sound, initially branded by the warmth of the Southeast, burnished by the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, and polished by the West Coast cool school demeanor. In 1959, as returned to Miami, he connected with Detroit trombonist and Philadelphia tenor saxophonist to form one of the most potent three-horn front lines in jazz history. Few knew how good they were until after the fact, but this recording, the third album for as a leader, has him and his mates in full flight. Drummer has a lot to do with the solid booster rocket-like propulsion on this primarily hard bop date, and check out his calypso variations on the second chorus of the otherwise easy blues swing and ultra melodic Credit 's street smarts and highly developed melodic inventiveness as the focal point for this definitive session. In many ways, this is a parallel album to the classic , with subtle undertones driven by fourth-gear swing. The set kicks off with the famous of which 's original take for the label has been remixed and layered, and is heard in the acid jazz dancehalls. It's a familiar sparse line, a two-note vamp tacked onto a lithe, perky melody that needs no critique -- it's simply great! More concisely rendered hard bop follows on not complex by any means, but filled with plenty of soul. The hardest line crops up during featuring a memorable, cutting, precise solo by . and lay out so you can hear in full dimension the cozy and warm persona of on the ballad but especially on the bright, easy swinger which most accurately approaches . In tribute to his then-boss, , features 's muted trumpet over an underlying fresh bed of trombone and tenor sax. Even more so, 's deep blue horn shines on the standard an organ of sheer beauty and one to be studied for those who need to learn that playing fewer notes more musically is an admirable quality. This is one of the most precious jazz recordings of a year that would soon give sway to the sound, and is in many real and important ways as much of a prelude as any other statement. It's a must-have for all serious mainstream jazz fans. ~ Michael G. Nastos