Overall I have far too few Prestige albums in the collection. There are so many great albums. This is one of the best titles in the early Prestige catalogue for me. Jackie McLean is always on point and with this band backing him, you can’t go wrong: Bill Hardman on trumpet, Mal Waldron on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Hardman though is a cat I haven’t explored much of. He plays great here and on a couple of other titles so I’m looking forward to hear some more of him. He has a quite laid back style which I like.
This session is a flowing, well executed piece of hard bop with the highlight for me being the moody, Waldron-penned “Dee’s Dilemma”. I would recommend this album to anyone that enjoys some loose, easy accessible hard bop that makes you feel good.
These early Prestige titles are not easy to find in great condition, and it seems they pop up very seldom on the market. Is it me or have they become even more scarce with each year that passes? How many Jackie’s Pal have you seen for sale the last couple of years? How many Mobley’s Message? Pairing Off? Tenor Madness? That makes owning this piece of history in top shape even more special.
I have managed to acquire some great titles so far this year, that I really wanted. Very happy about that, but now a time of restraint has come, to focus on building a nice budget for a summer vacation, hopefully. No more albums for me until the Autumn or something. But like I said, I have some new stuff to enjoy up until then. And I have plenty of albums to post up until something new arrives. Stay tuned.
Take care of each other and keep the spirits up. Fuck war.