Customer Reviews

Showcase

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This rollicking sequel of sorts to the Blues for Dracula set is actually better than that more (in)famous album, and it has a front line that seems to click a little tighter: baritonist Pepper Adams and trumpeter Blue Mitchell were born to this style of hard bop and the lesser-know tenor Bill Barron has a sound that blends far better than Johnny Griffin's spikier style did. Philly Joe himself is in that sloppy good form that he patented, swinging and in-the-pocket, but also seemingly ready to knock over his drum kit in places. So why isn't this record, seemingly so much fun, also much better known? I'll wager that it's all about timing: by 1960, everybody was smitten with the modal thing that Miles and Trane were working out. It was the time of Dolphy and Booker Little, and this album sounds like a throwback to the straightahead hard bop that Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers were puttin down back in 1957. At the time, this simply may have sounded a tad unfashionable. Divorced of such concerns, however, Showcase is a joyful kick-in-the-pants.

This is a very nice sampler of Philly Joe Jones work. You get to hear several of the things he was well known for. It is not a drum centric collection, nor should it be. No real solos but a lot of nice work behind some great musicians. Also just a really good sample of some good bebop. Check it out, especially if you're a drummer.