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

Another remarkable chapter in contemporary music comes to life once again, thanks to Resonance Records. It was from 1967 that Blue Bossa In The Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco emerged, an unreleased performance by the legendary jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham, recorded live at the Blue Morocco jazz club in the Bronx, NY. The session features Sonny Red, Cedar Walton, Paul Chambers and Denis Charles.

Transferred from the original tape reels captured by the renowned engineer Bernard Drayton, this recording is a treasure trove. The digital download and CD include an elaborate 36-page booklet, featuring liner notes by jazz historian Bob Blumenthal, along with interviews and testimonials from artists and writers who knew or were inspired by Dorham, such as Eddie Henderson, Charles Tolliver, Jeremy Pelt, Steven Bernstein, Reggie Workman, Dan Morgenstern and many others.

Years later, the pleasure remains intact as we rediscover him through this magnificent recording. The sound, of course, is of its time; less defined than in the digital era. But the essence is there: Dorham's genius and the warm, electric atmosphere of the audience. The album opens with "Blue Bossa" and closes with "Blue Friday," a perfect arc.

The trumpeter, who passed away in 1972, stood among the greatest jazz musicians of his era. He played alongside Lionel Hampton, Billy Eckstine and Mercer Ellington, as well as in Charlie Parker's quintet, which he joined in December 1948. He was also a founding member of the original Jazz Messengers collective.

Dorham recorded as a sideman with Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins and, following the tragic death of Clifford Brown in 1956, stepped in to replace him in Max Roach's quintet. He also led his own groups, beginning with the Jazz Prophets, formed shortly after Art Blakey took over the Jazz Messengers name. The Jazz Prophets, featuring a young Bobby Timmons on piano, Sam Jones on bass and J.R. Monterose on tenor saxophone, with guest guitarist Kenny Burrell, recorded a live album, 'Round About Midnight at the Café Bohemia, in 1956 for Blue Note.

The album's opening track, "Blue Bossa," is perhaps one of the most significant and widely recognized jazz compositions today. Countless versions exist, some brilliant, others less remarkable. But ultimately, a musician's success is often measured by the number of peers who choose to reinterpret their work. Dorham, as a composer, held himself to an exacting standard, refusing to simply craft variations on existing themes. His compositions were always fully realized pieces, each with a clear beginning, middle, and end, miniature narratives in their own right. "Blue Bossa" is a striking example of this approach.

This album is one of those that you collect and guard jealously, only taking it out in the company of those who truly understand its value.

Comments