For those unaware, this incredible new 4CD set brings together the finest albums composer and trumpeter Kenny Dorham released in the early 1960s.

Kenny Dorham was one of the most underrated trumpeters in jazz history, a talented bop-oriented player and an excellent composer who played in some very significant bands and penned the timeless jazz standard “Blue Bossa.”

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. 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 first recorded for Blue Note in 1955 with his excellent Afro-Cuban session, and followed with several fine dates for Riverside, New Jazz, and Time, but it is his Blue Note sessions of 1961-1964 that are among his finest, including Whistle Stop, Una Mas, and Trompeta Toccata.

Dorham was an early booster of saxophonist Joe Henderson (who played with his group in 1963-1964), and the two became frequent collaborators on Henderson’s Blue Note albums Page One, Our Thing, and In ‘N Out. In 1964, Dorham proved his versatility with his standout performance on Andrew Hill’s avant-garde masterpiece Point of Departure.

Spanning eight remastered albums across four discs from the peak of his career, the collection showcases some of the most accomplished recordings he ever made and is sure to be a welcome addition to any jazz collection, as well as an ideal entry point for those discovering his work.

CD 1:
The Arrival Of... (1960)
1. Stage West
2. I’m An Old Cowhand
3. Stella By Starlight
4. Delilah
5. Butch’s Blues
6. Lazy Afternoon
7. Six Bits
8. When Sunny Gets Blue
9. Turbo

Opening on the fervently sculpted Stage West and the playful I’m An Old Cowhand we next get gifted the elegant Stella By Starlight, the languishing beauty of Delilah, the funkily grooved Butch’s Blues, the aptly titled Lazy Afternoon, before the upbeat and joyful Six Bits, the emotive When Sunny Gets Blue and the pacy Turbo are brought forth.

Jazz Contemporary (1960)
1. A Waltz
2. Monk’s Mood
3. In Your Own Sweet Way
4. Horn Salute
5. Tonica
6. This Love of Mine

This album opens on the sweetly demure, and aptly entitled A Waltz and the impassioned depth of Monk’s Mood and then we are brought forth the sprightly In Your Own Sweet Way, the boisterous Horn Salute, the set rounding out on the low slung majesties of Tonica, coming to a close on the flirtatiously upbeat This Love of Mine.

CD 2:
Showboat (1960)
1. Why Do I Love You?
2. Nobody Else But Me
3. Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man
4. Make Believe
5. Ol’ Man River
6. Bill

This wondrous album opens on the confidence of Why Do I Love You? and the impassioned Nobody Else But Me and then we get the late-night vibes of Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man, the alertness of Make Believe, the set rounding out on the upbeat and alive Ol’ Man River, coming to a close on the emotively driven Bill

Hot Stuff From Brazil (1961)
1. Wee Dot
2. Halley’s Comet
3. The Red Door
4. A Night In Tunisia
5. Autumn Leaves
6. It’s All Right With Me

The album opens on the informed Wee Dot and the infectiously grooved Halley’s Comet and then we get gifted the emboldened The Red Door, and emotively sculpted A Night In Tunisia, the set rounding out on the languishing Autumn Leaves, coming to a close on the gushing It’s All Right With Me.

CD 3:
Inta Somethin’ (1961)
1. Us
2. It Could Happen To You
3. Let’s Face The Music
4. No Two People
5. Lover Man
6. San Francisco Beat

This album opens on the dashing Us and the finger-snapping delights of It Could Happen To You, and then comes the excitable Let’s Face The Music, the vibrant No Two People, the set rounding out on the affectional Lover Man, coming to a close on the upbeat San Francisco Beat.

Whistle Stop (1961)
1. Philly Twist
2. Buffalo
3. Sunset
4. Whistle Stop
5. Sunrise In Mexico
6. Windmill
7. Dorham’s Epitaph

This album opens on the forthright and spiraling Philly Twist and the piano-driven beauty Buffalo and then we get gifted the cinematically sculpted Sunset, the fervent title track Whistle Stop, the perky and playful Sunrise In Mexico, the set rounding out on the pacey Windmill, closing on the low slung ballad mastery of Dorham’s Epitaph

CD 4:
El Matador (1962)
1. El Matador
2. Melanie
3. Smile
4. Beautiful Love
5. There Goes My Heart

This album then opens on the propellent title track El Matador and the veritably seductive nature of Melanie, and then comes the earnest Smile, the aptly titled Beautiful Love, and the set closes on an emotionally heartfelt There Goes My Heart.

Una Mas (1962)
1. Prelude
2. Una Mas (One More Time)
3. Straight Ahead
4. Sao Paulo
5. If Ever I Would Leave You

This final album opens on a short Prelude before we are brought forth the upbeat and fervent title track Una Mas (One More Time) which is itself backed by the indulgently perfect Straight Ahead, the set rounding out on the resplendent Sao Paulo, closing on the ambiently detectible If Ever I Would Leave You.

Official Purchase Link

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