Una Mas [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Kenny Dorham | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 14, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00000K4GP
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,102 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Trumpeter Kenny Dorham was a significant presence in the bop and hard bop scenes, a musician whose distinctive, lyrical style had been apparent from his work in the late '40s with Charlie Parker's quintet. The year 1963 was especially good for him. He had just returned from a trip to Brazil where he had been absorbing the bossa nova, and he had formed a musical partnership with Joe Henderson, a powerful young tenor saxophonist whose rugged sound and coiling lines were an ideal complement to Dorham's often subtler approach. This session is the first in a series of dates that would pair the two, and the fifteen minute "Una Mas," a percolating mix of hard bop sonorities and a samba beat, was the first recorded example of Dorham's distinctive exploration of bossa nova (his "Blue Bossa" would become a jazz standard). Pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Butch Warren, and drummer Tony Williams all take naturally to the new beat, handling it as effectively as they do "Straight Ahead." --Stuart Broomer

Product Description

2005 Japanese re-issue of his 1963 album that has been long out-of-print in the US. Featuring pianist Herbie Hancock, tenor-saxophonist Joe Henderson, bassist Butch Warren, and drummer Tony Williams. 24 Digitally Remastered. Limited pressing. Blue Note. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely habit-forming (would there were many more), July 21, 2006

By 

Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Una Mas (Audio CD)

This is a revered session in some quarters, I know, but I suspect partly for the wrong reasons. The compositions are worthy (in fact, I find "Una Mas" similar to but more infectious than "Sidewinder") but not necessarily "essential." The personnel are first-rate, but Joe Henderson's harmonic adventurousness is no match for Hank Mobley's warmth and melodic inventiveness; nor are Tony Williams' dancing cymbals as irresistible a force of nature as Blakey's hot and explosive skins. In other words, rate this set, as far as the Dorham canon goes, with "The Jazz Messengers at the Cafe Bohemia," "Whistle Stop," and "Afro-Cuban" but not necessarily ahead of them.

The reason to own this one is the man who belongs on even the shortest list of trumpet greats (for example, Diz, Clifford, and Kenny?). His playing is absolutely addictive. No one else prepares and "cures" every single note, launching it with that lovely cushion of sound. No one plays with so little pose and showmanship, relying so exclusively on the substance of the music itself to make sense--intellectually and emotionally--without reliance on extraneous effects. There's tenderness, warmth, and abundant humor in each Dorham solo, but once again it arises from what the man does with the materials at hand and not from a musical persona that takes itself overly seriously. Above all I hear a vulnerability in Dorham's work that not only touches a universal emotional core but more often than not sets off the triumph of each of his poignant creations.

If you've developed a Dorham habit, "Una Mas" is definitely one more to add to your collection. It's also a good place to start, but as the title suggests it won't do all by itself.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent bop date, great playing., October 13, 2003

By 

JetTone12 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Una Mas (Audio CD)

Kenny Dorham is one of the more under-rated trumpet players in jazz. His technique, range and jazz sound are quite impressive, yet he doesn't get mentioned as often as Miles, Dizzy, Clifford, Freddie Hubbard, or even Lee Morgan. Kenny is probably most famous for his tune "Blue Bossa" (which has been run into the ground by high school jazz bands everywhere in both combo and big band format). That is not his best work. This, in my opinion, is. Kenny plays with a great group full of stars: Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Butch Warren on bass and Tony Williams on drums. Herbie provides an extremely solid anchor to the band as well as creative force, and Tony Williams provides a lot of energy in the rhythm section. Kenny is at his best here, playing interesting and technically challenging lines throughout and still making them fit well with the chord. Henderson is still young on this recording, but he nevertheless plays extremely well and holds up well with Dorham. "Una Mas" is an instant classic, it's hard to believe this one was not one of the overplayed classic jazz tunes like "Chameleon", "Sidewinder", "Red Clay", "Cantaloupe Island", "Watermelon Man", etc. became. They also experiment with the beautiful latin rhythms on "Sao Paulo", a tune about one of Brazil's cities. Kenny plays very well here, playing another long, strong solo. There is also a tasty "If Ever I Would Leave You", which is from the musical Camelot. A sensitive ballad, Kenny plays this one with the appropriate musicality. "Straight Ahead" is interesting to hear because it is a one-note tune, just the same note played over and over in evolving rhythms. This one honestly took a little while to grow on me but it's an excellent bop tune. All in all, this album is a wonderful piece of work, and it's great to hear Herbie and Joe Henderson and Tony Williams still in their formative years.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A groundbreaking CD, February 12, 2000

By 

Will Flannery (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Una Mas (Audio CD)

When this recording was first released as an LP, the tune "Una Mas" occupied the entired first side of the LP. A first? It marks the beginning of Joe Henderson's recording career, and also catches Herbie Hancock and Anthony Williams at very near the beginnings of their careers. And the tune "Una Mas" is (probably) the first recording of 'Latin funk jazz'. A short while after this recording, Lee Morgan headed a date for the same label, using many of the same players including Joe Henderson, and including a tune that sounds remarkably like "Una Mas", and came up with "Sidewinder", which became one of the biggest selling jazz records of all time.

There is a lot to like about "Una Mas". First is the funky latin groove. Then, there is the very catchy tune itself. And then there is the stellar quality of the soloists. KD was one of the great, if unhearded, trumpet players of the bebop era, and what distinguishes his playing is its lyricism. He plays a catchy style, with whoops and growls and trills, all in the service of stong lines that pull the listener along. Both he and Henderson play many choruses on the title cut. This is Joe Henderson's first recorded solo. What's amazing is that it is a perfect solo, fully developed, melodic, so good it couldn't possibly be improved. One of the things about Henderson's playing is its sophistication, and the sophistication is there from day one. It's like he was born with a suit, tie, and a saxophone, fully formed, ready to go, no need for any time consuming 'maturation'. This CD also represents the recording debut of Anthony Williams, who was seventeen when it was recorded. It is also one of the very early recordings of Herbie Hancock. They didn't become great, they started great.

Some of the best jazz is also some of the most accessible, as in this instance.