Stop Time

Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Horace Silver (piano), Doug Watkins (bass) and Art Blakey (drums). From the album Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers (1956).

Kenny Dorham was an American jazz trumpeter, singer and songwriter. Although he was highly appreciated by jazz critics and other musicians, he never won the recognition he deserved. He had an emotional tone in his trumpet and his sound was clear, sharp and piercing, especially in ballads. He composed the jazz standard “Blue Bossa”, which first appeared on Joe Henderson’s album Page One. He began playing bebop with the big bands of Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton and Mercer Ellington, and with Charlie Parker’s group.

He was a founding member of the Jazz Messengers in 1954 and replaced Clifford Brown in Max Roach’s group after his death in 1956. He also led his own groups, such as the Jazz Prophets. In 1963 he added to his group the tenor saxophone player Joe Henderson, with whom he recorded numerous albums. During the 1960s he recorded for the Blue Note and Prestige labels as a leader and as a studio musician. He died of a kidney disease in 1972 at the age of 48.

After a short introduction, the group exposes the theme at a fairly high speed. Dorham begins his solo with an animated speech perfectly linking the phrases. Next comes Mobley playing interesting note combinations. Then Silver performs his solo at a good rhythm and creates coherent melodies. After that, Dorham exchanges four-bars solos with Blakey taking turns with Mobley, but then they let him go to complete his solo and the group re-exposes the theme.