One of the sad stories in jazz history is the large number of great trumpeters that have died all too soon. The list, including Bix Beiderbecke, Bunny Berigan, Lee Morgan, Clifford Brown, Fats Navarro, Woody Shaw and Kenny Dorham, up to Roy Hargrove, has to include one of the most overlooked, Booker Little. He came at a time when hard bop was just starting to transition into a more free form style, and this four disc collection of the 8 albums that he is most associated with (apart from a short stint with John Coltrane), is a perfect representation of what a fresh horn sound like.
The albums range from his 1958 debut with Max Roach to his 1961 concert sessions with Eric Dolphy, just before his death in 1961. The initial album from ’58 has Little with Roach, Art Davis/b, Tommy Flanagan/p and George Coleman/ts with a sleek version of Miles Davis’ early “Milestones” and a portend of Little’s writing skills on “Dungeon Waltz”. The 1960 Far Cry has Little joined with the future visioned Eric Dolphy and Jackie Byard/p on the classic “Miss Ann”. From the same year, he leads his own team of Wynton Kelly/Tommy Flanagan, Scott LaFaro/b and Roy Haynes/dr through a gorgeously melancholic “Who Can I Turn To?” and a rich original “The Grand Waltz”. An interesting and obscure session from this year has Little teamed in a big band with Don Ellis, Donald Byrd, Mal Waldron, Bill Evans, Philly Joe Jones, Ed Shaughnessy and Pepper Adams among others for some advanced bop on “Chasin’ The Bird”, “The Prophecy” and “Call To Arms”.
The next year has him leading a team of all stars like Ron Carter-Art Davis/b, Max Roach/dr, Julian Priester/tb, Eric Dolphy/wwinds and Don Friedman/p focusing on originals that show vitality and creativity on “Strength and Sanityh” and “Man of Words” .
The tour de force of the set, however, is the collection of the famous Five Spot gigs with leader Eric Dolphy along with Eddie Blackwell/dr, Richard Davis/b and Mal Waldron/p. The stretched out pieces are legendary for their mix of lyricism, passion and adventure. Little and Dolphy stretch the harmonies on “The Prophet” like Turkish Taffy, while “Bee Vamp” steams forward like a V8 engine. “Fire Waltz” melds Dolphy’s alto with Little’s agonizing horn like sweet and sour sauce, while “Like Someone In Love” is a prismatic dream.
If like your brass polished a bit to the left, check out this forgotten master.