As a Heartbreaker and on his own, Benmont Tench defines a supporting musician: versatile, tasteful, and distinctive; enhancing sessions without overwhelming the leader. He’s so thoroughly part of a group that it’s hard to picture him stepping to the center of the stage, but You Should Be So Lucky…
This little-known gem is from the declining days of Blue Note. Vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson welcomed his friend trumpeter Freddie Hubbard to his date and Hubbard (who is heard on four of the six selections) almost stole the show. It is particularly nice to hear Hubbard (whose recordings from this…
By the time of this fourth Blue Note album by trumpeter Donald Byrd, it became clear that his playing was becoming stronger with the passing of time. This album features separate studio sessions from January and July of 1960 with constants Duke Pearson on piano and drummer Lex Humphries….
This CD, Freddie Hubbard’s last Blue Note release of the 1960s (with the exception of the blowing session The Night of the Cookers), adds two numbers to the original LP program and features the great trumpeter in three challenging settings ranging from a sextet to an octet. Hubbard uses…
Of the many albums recorded by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, this was the greatest. Reissued on CD as part of a large Mosaic box set, this set introduced Jones’ best-known composition, “A Child Is Born,” and also has a colorful rendition of his sly “Tiptoe,” and finds the big band ripping…
This combination works. Although one might expect a group with the name of “The Blue Note All Stars” to be revisiting songs associated with Art Blakey, Horace Silver and perhaps Wayne Shorter, the impressive sextet sticks to new material with each member contributing one or two originals. The players…
Hip-hop/jazz fusionisters Us3 have forged the most elaborate union between the styles since the early days of Gang Starr and A Tribe Called Quest. Blue Note’s vast catalog gives them a huge advantage over several similar groups in terms of source material, and classic sounds by Art Blakey, Horace…
West African guitarist Lionel Loueke was inspired by his brother, who taught him how to play during his late teenage years. Stops at the Ivory Coast’s National Institute of Arts, Paris’ American School of More Than Music, and Berklee College of Music led Loueke to appearances on a series of high-profile recordings, including Terence…
Profile is the debut album by American pianist and arranger Duke Pearson, featuring performances by Pearson with Gene Taylor and Lex Humphries. It was recorded in 1959 and released the same year on the Blue Note label. Like the following Tender Feelin’s, Profile has been released singularly on CD only in Japan by Blue Note/EMI. However, at present, it could…
