Paul Chambers and
Wynton Kelly are best known for their work with
Miles Davis, though they appeared together on numerous other albums by a host of artists. This Mosaic compilation gathers their entire master takes for the label, along with any viable surviving alternates, with both men generally playing at a consistently high level.
The two men are joined by their associate in
Davis' rhythm section, drummer
Jimmy Cobb, along with
Cannonball Adderley and
Freddie Hubbard for the sessions which made up
Chambers'
Go. The bassist effectively demonstrates his ability playing arco in both takes of "Just Friends," while
Adderley's funky solo adds to the flavor of
Hubbard's arrangement. For the session which produced
1st Bassman,
Tommy Turrentine is the trumpeter, with tenor saxophonist
Yusef Lateef (who composed all of the selections for this date), trombonist
Curtis Fuller and drummer
Lex Humphries joining
Chambers and
Kelly. "Melody" has little in the way of a theme, but its focus in on the leader's superb bassline, though each player's solo is memorable.
Lateef switches to flute for his haunting ballad, which again features
Chambers' warm arco technique.
Kelly's first label date under his name adds
Wayne Shorter (in his debut studio recording) and
Lee Morgan, both on loan from
Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, with
Philly Joe Jones taking over on drums. Aside from the infrequently performed "June Night," the focus is on originals by the participants.
Kelly steals the show with his medium tempo blues shuffle "Wrinkles," though
Shorter's explosive "Mama G" merits high praise, too.
Kelly's remaining Vee Jay sessions are trio affairs. The one released as
Kelly at Midnight is rounded out by
Philly Joe Jones, including
Kelly's blues "Pot Luck" and the swinging "Temperance," with some choice brushwork by
Jones. The trio also excels in two numbers written by guitarist
Rudy Stevenson, along with a surprisingly good arrangement of singer
Babs Gonzales' "Lullaby of the Doomed."
The final sessions, issued as Kelly!, include numerous alternate takes, a few of which are previously unissued. The personnel is the same, aside from
Sam Jones replacing an ill
Paul Chambers on the last few songs. An inspired jazz-waltz treatment of "Someday My Prince Will Come" (with four separate takes) and a half-dozen versions of
Joe Zawinul's catchy hard bop vehicle "Scotch and Water" stand out particularly.
Cobb returns to the drums, along with the addition of the tragically short-lived trumpeter
Booker Little for alto saxophonist
Frank Strozier's session. The leader's relaxed slow blues "Lucka Duce" (strangely omitted from the original release), his twisting "A Starling's Theme" and the strutting "Tibbit" are among the highlights, though the two takes of the standard "Just in Time" come off a bit tentative. As soloists, both
Strozier (whose contributions are badly underappreciated) and
Little are in top form, backed by their seasoned rhythm section. Sadly, this valuable limited-edition boxed set has lapsed from print and will likely command a premium price at auction.
–
Ken Dryden, Rovi