March 7, 2019
This 1998 CD has all of the music from two formerly scarce 10″ LPs. Trumpeter Howard McGhee heads an all-star group that includes trombonist J.J. Johnson, tenor saxophonist Brew Moore, pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Curly Russell, and drummer Max Roach on “I’ll Remember April,” an original by the leader and four songs (plus an alternate take) by Drew, who was making his recording debut. Because it was the tail-end of the 78 era, all of the performances are between 2:34 and 3:07 in length but the concise solos are generally quite strong.
