Kenny Dorham in the Bronx on Resonance

Readers familiar with this site probably know of the significant role played by Resonance Records in releasing albums to preserve and promote the art and legacy of jazz performance. If my archives are correct, I have been following the label since 2019, when I wrote about Musical Prophet: The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions, a three-CD album of recording sessions led by Eric Dolphy on July 1 and 3 of 1963. This past February I received word of three new albums that would be released this month; and, as has been the case in my past articles, each of them deserves to be examined individually.

Cover of the album being discussed (from its Amazon.com Web page)

This morning I Iistened to Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco. This album will be released this coming Friday; and, as is so often the case, Amazon.com has already created a Web page for processing pre-orders. Hard bop trumpeter Kenny Dorham leads a combo, whose other members are Sonny Red on alto saxophone, pianist Cedar Walton, Paul Chambers on bass, and drummer Denis Charles. The tracks were recorded in 1967, and no specific date is provided in any of the text accompanying the album. I described the Dolphy album as “85 minutes of material that has not been previously released;” and this one falls a bit short of 75 minutes.

One of the things I particularly like about Dorham is that he knew how to share the spotlight, so to speak. I came to know Chambers through his work with Miles Davis, but there was no shortage of listening opportunities on this album. Most important is that his bowing technique was right up there with the bass section in a symphony orchestra. (His teacher was Gaston Brohan, Principal Bass for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.) On the “front line” Dorham is certainly generous in the solo time he gives to Red; and Walton was one of the giants of the Jazz Messengers, whose inventions were consistently engaging.

The only real downside is the recording technique. Mind you, in the overall history of jazz performance, this has probably happened more often than not. Those of us that really try to focus our listening skills have learned to take what we can get. I got the best I could and came away with enough satisfaction to look forward to further listening encounters with this album.