Una Mas
Trumpeter Kenny Dorham was a significant presence in the bop and hard bop scenes, a musician whose distinctive, lyrical style had been apparent from his work in the late '40s withCharlie Parker's quintet. The year 1963 was especially good for him. He had just returned from a trip to Brazil where he had been absorbing the bossa nova, and he had formed a musical partnership with Joe Henderson, a powerful young tenor saxophonist whose rugged sound and coiling lines were an ideal complement to Dorham's often subtler approach. This session is the first in a series of dates that would pair the two, and the fifteen minute "Una Mas," a percolating mix of hard bop sonorities and a samba beat, was the first recorded example of Dorham's distinctive exploration of bossa nova (his "Blue Bossa" would become a jazz standard). PianistHerbie Hancock, bassist Butch Warren, and drummer Tony Williams all take naturally to the new beat, handling it as effectively as they do "Straight Ahead."  --Stuart Broomer