Kenny Dorham
Quiet Kenny

The most "poetic" of trumpet players: that's how Dan Morgenstern defined Kenny Dorham. The artist in question was undoubtedly one of the most talented trumpeters in the history of jazz (he played in the bands of Charlie Parker, Max Roach, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Milt Jackson, Hank Mobley, and others), but unlike the more known Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, he had a much more modest and anonymous career.

The album in question, released in 1959 by the Prestige label, sees Dorham accompanied by a highly respectable ensemble: Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers (who in the same year also played on Miles Davis' masterpiece "Kind of Blue" and, a year later, on "Giant Steps" by John Coltrane) on double bass, Art Taylor on drums. The album is a mix of standards and original compositions: the opening track, "Lotus Blossom", is one of the best songs written by the artist (a beautiful version by Kenny Burrell exists in the album of the same name); among other noteworthy tracks are "Mack the Knife", written by Kurt Weill, "Blue Friday", and the delicate "My Ideal".

Unfortunately, the album was not rewarded with sales: Kind of Blue, Portrait in Jazz, and The Shape of Jazz to Come were released in the same year, so the record went practically unnoticed. Subsequent production would remain of high quality, but Kenny Dorham would never achieve the deserved success.