Don't overlook this one.
Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 06/01/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Originally a 1957 Electra date before being reissued by Savoy under the title "Midnight Session," Savoy has reissued it under the original title and in a handsome package that includes 5 additional tracks, 4 from a 1961 Bill Hardman session. Bill may not have been Clifford Brown, but he's right up there with other Blakey trumpet stars--Byrd, Morgan, Dorham, Hubbard, Marsalis, Blanchard. Add up his several tours of duty with the Messengers and you'll find that he played longer on Blakey's frontline than any other musician. Hearing his bristling, crackling solo work and intricate ensemble contribution on "Ugh!" should amply support Bu's confidence in him.
I personally can't take too much of Jackie McClean's sharp-sour sound, but he meshes especially well with Hardman's trumpet on this occasion, and the second half of the program affords the listener a welcome contrast in the alto saxophone of Sonny Redd. This latter session displays, especially on "Capers," the fuller sound that Hardman would increasingly develop throughout the sixties. Ronnie Matthews' inventive playing conquers an out-of-tune piano, while Jimmy Cobb, the drummer on the date, is predictably tight and right. Even Blakey's drums sound crisper than usual, in part because this was not a Van Gelder-engineered recording. In fact, the only plausible reason Bill Hardman remains so neglected would seem to be his absence on the Messenger dates for Blue Note. In the liner notes, drummer Kenny Washington claims that the Messenger recordings for Columbia, Bethlehem, RCA and Elektra are at least every bit as worthy as the better known Blue Note sessions. No arguments from me."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1