Kenny Dorham - Whistle Stop (1961) [2008 SACD]

Whistle Stop is a jazz studio album by Kenny Dorham, featuring performances by acclaimed musicians Hank Mobley, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. It was recorded in January 1961 at Van Gelder Studio, in Englewood Cliffs, and was originally released on Blue Note Records as BST 84063 and BLP 4063. "In 1975", Blumenthal states in the CD liner notes, "five British critics picked Whistle Stop as one of 200 albums that belonged in a basic library of jazz recorded after World War II".

Kenny Dorham was always underrated throughout his career, not only as a trumpeter but as a composer. Whistle Stop features seven of his compositions, none of which were picked up later by any of the Young Lions of the '90s despite their high quality and many fresh melodies. Dorham teams up with tenor-saxophonist Hank Mobley (who had recorded with him previously, along with Art Blakey and Max Roach), pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones for a set of lively, fresh, and consistently swinging music. This is a generally overlooked near-classic set. --Scott Yanow

Tracks:

01. ‘Philly’ Twist
02. Buffalo
03. Sunset
04. Whistle Stop
05. Sunrise In Mexico
06. Windmill
07. Dorham’s Epitaph

Personnel:

Paul Chambers, bass
Kenny Dorham, trumpet
Kenny Drew, piano
Philly Joe Jones, drums
Hank Mobley, sax (tenor)