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Kenny Dorham - West 42nd Street (1961) Genre: Jazz

Allmusic.com:

The date included on this CD reissue was originally led by the obscure tenor Rocky Boyd but has come back under trumpeter Kenny Dorham's name with the six songs augmented by four alternate takes. Boyd (whose style mixes together the influences of Hank Mobley and John Coltrane) blends in well with Dorham, the rhythm section (pianist Walter Bishop, Jr., bassist Ron Carter and drummer Pete La Roca) is excellent and the repertoire (group originals plus "Samba De Orpheus" and two slow versions of "Stella by Starlight") generally inspires the players. It's funny how La Roca's original "Why Not" has exactly the same melody and chord structure as Coltrane's "Impressions." This CD is worth picking up by straightahead jazz collectors.

Throughout his career, Kenny Dorham was almost famous for being underrated since he was consistently overshadowed by Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, and Lee Morgan. Dorham was never an influential force himself but a talented bop-oriented trumpeter and an excellent composer who played in some very significant bands. In 1945, he was in the orchestras of Dizzy Gillespie and Billy Eckstine, he recorded with the Be Bop Boys in 1946, and spent short periods with Lionel Hampton and Mercer Ellington. During 1948-1949, Dorham was the trumpeter in the Charlie Parker Quintet. After some freelancing in New York in 1954, he became a member of the first version of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and for a short time led a group called the Jazz Prophets, which recorded on Blue Note. After Clifford Brown's death, Dorham became his replacement in the Max Roach Quintet (1956-1958) and then he led several groups of his own. He recorded several fine dates for Riverside (including a vocal album in 1958), New Jazz, and Time, but it is his Blue Note sessions of 1961-1964 that are among his finest. Dorham was an early booster of Joe Henderson (who played with his group in 1963-1964). After the mid-'60s, Kenny Dorham (who wrote some interesting reviews for ~Down Beat) began to fade and he died in 1972 of kidney disease. Among his many originals is one that became a standard, "Blue Bossa."



Amazon.com reviewer:

John Erskine "Rocky" Boyd, a young lion of a tenor player, under whose name this set was released in 1961 on Jazzland, disappeared that same year - a jazz mystery - while touring with Philly Joe Jones. Mr. Boyd, of Boston (born 1936) and a Berklee graduate, composed "Avars" with an up and down the steps intro stated in unison with Kenny Dorham. KD shares the solo turns with Rocky, and is superb, as always. Kenny was never a show-off or flashy, but had chops to burn - dig his solo just prior to the 4-minute mark, left before he restates the vamp with Rocky.

Walter Bishop, Jr. then steps in on piano, demonstrating why he was to record his first session as a leader the next day, March 14. Young Ron Carter takes a bowed bass solo just before the last return of the theme, and out we go. "Avars" was Rocky Boyd's only published composition.

It is then fittingly followed by two heartbreakingly poignant renditions of the Washington-Young ballad, "Stella by Starlight," originally penned for a 1944 film, "The Uninvited." Rocky shows the poise and taste of a much more seasoned player, and the work of this fine ensemble is embellished by drummer Pete La Roca's perfect cymbal brushwork (three weeks before he turned 23).

The original "Why Not?" credited to La Roca resembles both Miles' "So What" and Coltrane's "Impressions," but why not just enjoy it as a springboard for some great swinging? Both takes are great, but the second features a two-minute solo by Bishop. Listen as he sets up the sly "snakecharmer" quote ever so logically. Fine work by an artist known more among jazz aficionados and other players than the casual fan - kind of like Kenny Dorham.

Two takes of Maria-Bonfa's "Samba de Orfeu" follow Paul Chambers' blues, "Ease It!," in which Carter (almost 24) solos quite well, then the quintet trades fours and takes it out. West 42nd Street" is heard twice, Dorham on the trumpet parts that his contemporary and the composer, Wilbur Harden (misspelled "Hardin" here) took on the 1958 session he'd done with John Coltrane on Savoy.

This is classic bop played with freshness and fervor for one time only. That we can appreciate it today is the sweet paradox of the ephemeral quality of music. Kenny Dorham gets the last word: "I feel you play the way you live. The different things that happen come out in your playing. If you're sad, you play minor."

Personnel:

Kenny Dorham Trumpet,

Rocky Boyd Sax (Tenor),

Walter Bishop, Jr. Piano,

Ron Carter Bass,

Pete La Roca Drums

Tracks:

1 Avars (Take 3) (7:35)

2 Stella by Starlight (Take 1) (4:59)

3 Stella by Starlight (Take 2) (5:12)

4 Why Not? (Take 1) (7:19)

5 Why Not? (Take 2) (9:15)

6 Ease It (Take 1) (10:25)

7 Samba de Orfeu (Take 5) (4:27)

8 Samba de Orfeu (Take 6) (4:24)

9 West 42nd Street (Take 7) (3:45)

10 West 42nd Street (Take 8) (4:45)

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