Trumpeter Kenny Dorham was respected by fellow musicians, admired by jazz fans and overshadowed by such estimable predecessors as Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. Although best known as a sideman, he periodically led his own ensembles, including on this 1967 date at New York’s Blue Morocco nightclub.
The previously unissued concert represented several aspects of his repertoire. The bopping pace of “Confirmation” recalls his days with Miles. Eubie Blake’s “Memories of You” is colored by the blues. Dorham also wrote his own material, including “Blue Bossa,” where the urgency of Cedar Walton’s piano pressed against the easy Brazilian tempo. Dorham played trumpet as if playing a saxophone, and his unique voice was silenced too soon.
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