Trumpeter Blue Mitchell 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 Mitchell returned
to Miami, he connected with Detroit trombonist Curtis Fuller and Philadelphia
tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath 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 Mitchell as a leader, has him and his mates
in full flight. Drummer Philly Joe Jones 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 "Waverley Street." Credit Mitchell'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 Miles Davis classic Kind
of Blue, with subtle undertones driven by fourth-gear swing. The CD kicks off
with the famous "Minor Vamp," of which Fuller's original take for the
Savoy 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 "The Head," not complex by any means,
but filled with plenty o' soul. The hardest line crops up during "Top
Shelf," featuring a memorable, cutting, precise solo by Heath. Fuller and
Heath lay out so you can hear in full dimension the cozy and warm persona of
Mitchell on the ballad "Park Avenue Petite," but especially on the
bright, easy swinger "Blue Soul," which most accurately approaches
Kind of Blue. In tribute to his then boss, Horace Silver, "Nica's Dream"
features Mitchell's muted trumpet over an underlying fresh bed of trombone and
tenor sax. Even more so, Mitchell's deep blue horn shines on the standard
"Polka Dots and Moonbeams," 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 Blue Note 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. ~ by Michael G. Nastos, AMG.
Riverside Records, RCD-30508,
2008
Recorded 24th, 28th,
30th September, 1959 At Reeves Sound Studios, New York City
Personnel:
Blue Mitchell - Trumpet
Curtis Fuller - Trombone
(except #3,4,7,11,12)
Jimmy Heath - Tenor Saxophone
(except #3,4,7,11,12)
Wynton Kelly - Piano
Sam Jones - Bass
Philly Joe Jones - Drums
Tracks:
01. Minor Vamp {Benny Golson}
(3:42)
02. The Head {Richard
Mitchell} (4:29)
03. The Way You Look Tonight
{Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern} (3:23)
04. Park Avenue Petite {Benny
Golson} (3:58)
05. Top Shelf {Jimmy Heath,
Arr. Heath} (4:09)
06. Waverly Street {Jimmy
Heath, Arr. Heath} (5:00)
07. Blue Soul {Richard
Mitchell} (4:12)
08. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
{Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen} (5:50)
09. Nica's Dream {Horace
Silver} (6:36)
10. Minor Vamp [Take 1]
{Benny Golson} (3:39)
11. Park Avenue Petite [Take
1] {Benny Golson} (5:11)
12. Blue Soul [Take 2]
{Richard Mitchell} (6:29)
Credits:
Producer, Liner Notes - Orrin
Keepnews
Recording Engineer - Jack
Higgins (24th, 30th), Roy Friedman (28th) September, 1959
Cover Design - Paul Bacon,
Ken Brearen, Harris Lewine
Photography [Back] - Lawrence
N. Shustak
Remastering [24-bit] - Joe
Tarantino (Fantasy Studios, Berkeley)
Editorial - Rikka Arnold
Project Supervision - Nick
Phillips
Projest Assistant - Chris
Clough, Albert Roman
Art Direction - Larissa Collins
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