Kenny Dorham: Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco

On their 1955 live recording At the Cafe Bohemia (Blue Note), the Jazz Messengers' Art Blakey introduced his trumpet player, Kenny Dorham, as the "Uncrowned King," a title that was perhaps fitting at the time given Dorham's still-rising trajectory. But even in his prime, Dorham arguably never received his proper accolades, and he would typically be regarded as more of a "musician's musician" than some of the more celebrated trumpeters like Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard. Hence, the arrival of his centennial in 2024 was an important moment to revisit his legacy, as is Blue Bossa in the Bronx, a live date from 1967 recorded at New York's Blue Morocco club.

The accompanying personnel are themselves worthy of note: pianist Cedar Walton and bassist Paul Chambers, two of the premier musicians of their era, along with alto saxophonist Sonny Red (himself significantly under-heralded), and drummer Denis Charles, who is much more widely known in avant-garde contexts, having eventually recorded extensively with figures like Cecil Taylor, Steve Lacy and Billy Bang. Together, the five players have an evident chemistry right from the start, as "Blue Bossa," Dorham's most famous composition, makes clear. Walton's rhythmically lithe opening establishes a fluid, swinging tempo, with Chambers and Charles in tight rapport, as Dorham launches into a plucky solo with both flurries and incisive single-note attacks. Red's solo is even more expansive, with an acerbic quality that gives a pronounced edge to his tone and an urgency to his phrasing, and Walton and Chambers follow with solos that are both artfully structured and cohesive. Next, Charlie Parker's "Confirmation" gives the group a chance to demonstrate its bop bona fides, and Dorham does not disappoint, displaying his ability to navigate the complex chart adroitly.

In a typically self-effacing fashion, Dorham is often willing to cede ground to his partners here, and there are moments in which the trumpeter seems in less than top form. One can detect some tentativeness in his entry on the ballad, "My One and Only Love," for instance. Thus it helps that Dorham can lean on his colleagues when needed. Red in particular is happy to oblige, offering potent firepower throughout the disc, particularly on the blues-based tracks. Listen to him stretching out on "Bags' Groove" and "Blue Friday," both of which give the saxophonist room to soar on chorus after chorus, and which seem to inspire Dorham as well, especially on "Bags' Groove," in which the leader takes some feisty double-time solo passages.

Zev Feldman and the folks at Resonance Records have once again given their blue-chip treatment to the release, with especially valuable reflections from fellow trumpeters Eddie Henderson, Steven Bernstein and Jeremy Pelt, all of whom helpfully elucidate Dorham's distinctive talents. And the sound quality is very good overall, marred only by the closing track, "The Theme," which suffers from persistent static that lasts through most of the cut. But that takes nothing away from the fine music on display on this welcome addition to Dorham's catalog.