Kenny Dorham played his trumpet with a pinched tone. It wasn't blisteringly hot or flabby but romantically taut and mildly piercing. The notes were like the dots on exclamation points—just distinct enough to make a statement. And he often made notes shimmer briefly, like a hovering bumblebee. He used this punctuating and shimmer technique to great effect when playing with Charlie Parker from 1948 to 1950 and throughout the 1950s on great albums such as Tadd Dameron's Fontainebleau, Max Roach + 4, Sonny Rollins' Rollins Plays for Bird, A.K. Salim's Pretty for the People and so many others sideman and leadership dates.
Last December, Uptown Records released K.D. Is Here—two live recordings from 1962 and 1966 that were previously unissued in the States (the latter gig did appear on the Kenny Dorham Quintet: Live At The Half Note 1966 released in 1992 on the Magnetic label). Both club dates were emceed by Alan Grant, one of the smoothest and intelligent voices of jazz radio in the late 1950s and '60s and about whom too little is known.
The 1962 date was broadcast at the Flamboyan in Queens, N.Y., and featured Joe Farrell (ts), Walter Bishop Jr. (p), Larry Gales (b) and Stu Martin (d). This date offers only three tracks (the third, Au Privave is incomplete), but they show off the ensemble well, especially on If Ever I Should Lose You. Interestingly, Farrell had just come off of two years with the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra, the great one that had recorded for Roulette.
The 1966 recording was broadcast from New York's Half Note and was aired on WABC-FM—yes, FM—just as mono AM stations were beginning to invest in FM stereo and had to fill the airtime, since few advertisers bought time early on (there were too few radios with an FM band). The group included Dorham (tp), Sonny Red (as), Cedar Walton (p), John Ore (b) and Hue Walker (d). The high point is The Shadow of Your Smile, taken at a loping mid-tempo. Dorham works through his solo with grace, turning the song's melody on its head. What's especially fun is listening to Kenny seemingly wind up in a difficult place during his solo but finding a way out and landing right side up beautifully.
Also of note is the playing of his pianists on both gigs—Walter Bishop Jr. and Cedar Walton. Dorham always had great keyboardists on board. Both were shrewd, confident players who typically had a plan for the musical story they intended to tell.
Naturally, after listening to this CD, I brought up Una Mas (1963), which features Kenny Dorham (tp), Joe Henderson (ts), Herbie Hancock (p), Butch Warren (b) and Tony Williams (d). Still one of the most magnificent albums of the early 1960s.
Sadly, as beautiful a trumpet player as Dorham was, he never really received the glory he was due nor the same recognition afforded peers such as Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. Dorham was a less flamboyant and more subtle and subdued giant. In addition to Una Mas, I'd recommend Quiet Kenny (1959), Blue Spring (1959) and Whistle Stop (1961). There's plenty more where those came from if you fall in love.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Kenny Dorham: K.D. Is Here 1962 & 1966 (Uptown) here or here.
JazzWax clip: Here's Jung Fu from the 1966 gig...
