You may not have ever heard of Howard McGhee, but at one time he was one of the top notch bebop trumpeters, up there with Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro. He’s on Charlie Parker’s notorious “Lover Man” date, and actually had a bebop hit (is that an oxymoron?) with Coleman Hawkins with “Stuffy” in the mid 40s. He lived the life of a bebopper in more ways than one, as drugs caught up with him and sidelined him for awhile. The two recording sessions on this disc find him working on his comeback, and the music is surprisingly good.
Nobody Knows…is a ’62 session featuring McGhee with a trio backing, either with piano or organ, and includes Art Taylor/dr,and Ron Carter/b. The B3 band has McGhee in a bluesy mood with a desultory title track and version of “Lonely Town” that will make you want to keep away from sharp objects. He alternates between agonizing Harmon mutes and sleek open horn, actually mixing it up in the same song as in the fascinating “Canadian Sunset.” He’s quite lyrical on “Tenderly” and “Fly Me To The Moon” and his tone holds up well. The House Warmin’ session is a hot jam with Gene Ammonts/ts, Jake Fisher/g, Barney Richmond/b, Willie Mashburn/d and a guy named Waco on bongos. Hey, it’s the 60s! Ammons smokes like a Romeo e Juliet on “Jazz with a Beat” and McGhee revives his old charms on “Muggin’ McGhee” and the title tune. If you want to hear a rhythm team that is in sync, just give an ear to “Jivin’ Around.” That’ll keep you going for awhile.
Fresh Sound Records