Kenny Dorham – Quiet Kenny (Stereo, 200g LP)

Label: Analogue Productions(Prestige) – APRJ 8225 – 200 Gram Virgin Vinyl
AAA 100% Analogue – New Jazz 8224 Prestige
Mastered by Kevin Gray at AcousTech Mastering
1,000 Numbered Limited Edition – Pressed at QRP Quality Record Pressings
Pressed at QRP with Deep groove label pressings, tip-on jackets on thick cardboard stock
Part of the ultimate audiophile Prestige stereo reissue series from Analogue Productions featuring 25 of the most collectible, rarest, most audiophile-sounding Rudy Van Gelder recordings ever made!

All titles will be mastered from the original analog master tapes by Kevin Gray.
The 200g LPs will be cut at 33rpm at ‘ state-of-the-art pressing plant, Quality Record Pressings, plated by Gary Salstrom.

“Surrounded by an excellent rhythm team of the equally sensitive pianist Tommy Flanagan, emerging bassist Paul Chambers, and the always-beneficial drummer Art Taylor, Dorham and his mates are not prone to missteps or overt exaggerations. One of Dorham’s all-time best tunes “Lotus Blossom” kicks off the set with its bop to Latin hummable melody, fluid dynamics, and Dorham’s immaculate, unpretentious tone. “Old Folks,” a classic ballad, is done mid-tempo, while the true “quiet” factor comes into play on interesting version of “My Ideal” where Dorham gingerly squeezes out the slippery wet notes, and on the sad ballad “Alone Together.” The rest of the material is done in easygoing, unforced fashion, especially the originals “Blue Friday” and the simple swinger “Blue Spring Shuffle” which is not really a shuffle.”
The title of the 1959 date, Quiet Kenny, is almost redundant, less descriptive of the session than of Dorham himself, who plays no differently here than in the explosive groups of Blakey or Silver. Thoughtful, playful, lyrical but never effusive, Dorham is, as Dan Morgenstern calls him in the notes for this latest RVG edition, the most “poetic” of trumpet players.
The playing is on a level with Dorham’s best work elsewhere (Whistle Stop, Blue Note, 1961; Una Mas, Blue Note, 1963), but there are two undeniable bonuses: Dorham’s is the only horn, giving him more valuable time to tell his compelling stories; and the pianist is Tommy Flanagan, whose dynamically nuanced, carefully sculpted lines are the perfect match for the trumpet’s exquisitely crafted statements.