Howard McGhee – Dusty Blue (1961/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 35:31 minutes | 691 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Bethlehem Records
Howard McGhee made a comeback in the early 1960s and Dusty Blue from 1961 is one of the strongest sessions from that period. Ghee performs in both quartet and septet configurations accompanied by musicians like Pepper Adams on baritone sax, Tommy Flanagan on piano and bassist Ron Carter.
The 1950s had largely been a waste for Howard McGhee, as drug addiction had taken its toll on his playing. But he is in good form for this 1961 studio session for Bethlehem, leading a septet with baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, trombonist Bennie Green, and tenor saxophonist Roland Alexander, with a top-notch rhythm section of Tommy Flanagan, Ron Carter, and Walter Bolden an added bonus. His delicious muted horn is the centerpiece of the lightly swinging take of “The Sound of Music” and strolling rendition of the normally bittersweet “Cottage for Sale,” while he’s on open horn for a snappy take of Cole Porter’s “I Concentrate on You.” McGhee’s explosive side comes out in bop favorites like “Groovin’ High,” yet he is just as powerful playing long notes in the lush ballad “With Malice Toward None.” McGhee’s originals are all enjoyable, though none caught on with other jazz musicians.
Tracklist:
1. Howard McGhee – Dusty Blue (02:53)
2. Howard McGhee – The Sound Of Music (03:21)
3. Howard McGhee – I Concentrate On You (04:06)
4. Howard McGhee – Sleep Talk (02:55)
5. Howard McGhee – Park Avenue Petite (03:31)
6. Howard McGhee – Flyin’ Colors (05:52)
7. Howard McGhee – With Malice Towards None (04:01)
8. Howard McGhee – Groovin’ High (04:19)
9. Howard McGhee – A Cottage For Sale (04:29)
