''Afro-Cuban'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter

Kenny Dorham McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention or public ...

. The first release of the album dates back to 1955 on 10" Vinyl, featuring only four tracks and having a different cover artwork. Some time later,

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

decided to add three tracks and issue a more complete LP toward the end of May 1957 (see below for details). After publishing a 2003 RVG edition which featured two additional pieces and a different track listing,

remastered and recompiled ''Afro-Cuban'' in 2007, restoring the original track order.Kenny Dorham discography
accessed October 6, 2010

Reception

The

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

review by Michael G. Nastos stated: "A first-rate recording for the under-appreciated Dorham, this one should be in every collection of all true music lovers".Nastos, M. G.

Allmusic Review AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

accessed September 28, 2010

Track listing

:''All compositions by Kenny Dorham except as indicated''

10" Vinyl, BLP 5065 (1955)

# "Afrodisia" – 5:06 # "Lotus Flower" – 4:17 # "Minor's Holiday" – 4:27 # "Basheer's Dream" (

Gigi Gryce Gigi Gryce (born George General Grice Jr.; November 28, 1925 – March 14, 1983), later Basheer Qusim, was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, and educator. While his performing career was relatively short, ...

) - 5:03

LP, BLP 1535 (1957)

# "Afrodisia" – 5:06 # "Lotus Flower" – 4:17 # "Minor's Holiday" – 4:27 # "Basheer's Dream" (

) - 5:03 # "K.D.'s Motion" - 5:29 # "La Villa" – 5:24 # "Venita's Dance" - 5:22

RVG edition (CD, 2007)

# "Afrodisia" – 5:06 # "Lotus Flower" – 4:17 # "Minor's Holiday" – 4:27 # "Basheer's Dream" (

) - 5:03 # "K.D.'s Motion" - 5:29 # "La Villa" – 5:24 # "Venita's Dance" - 5:22

Bonus tracks

*"Echo of Spring" (aka "K.D.'s Cab Ride") – 6:12 *"Minor's Holiday" lternate Take– 4:24 ''Tracks 5-8 recorded on January 30, 1955; tracks 1-4 and 9 on March 29, 1955.''

Personnel

–

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

J. J. Johnson J.J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), born James Louis Johnson and also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. Johnson was one of the earliest trombonists to embrace bebop. Biograph ...

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trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

(tracks 1-4 and 9) *

Hank Mobley Henry "Hank" Mobley (July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986) was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to descr ...

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tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

Cecil Payne Cecil Payne (December 14, 1922 – November 27, 2007) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist born in Brooklyn, New York. Payne also played the alto saxophone and flute. He played with other prominent jazz musicians, in particular Dizzy Gilles ...

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baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sch ...

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piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Percy Heath Percy Heath (April 30, 1923 – April 28, 2005) was an American jazz bassist, brother of saxophonist Jimmy Heath and drummer Albert Heath, with whom he formed the Heath Brothers in 1975. Heath played with the Modern Jazz Quartet throughout ...

(tracks 5-8),

Oscar Pettiford Oscar Pettiford (September 30, 1922 – September 8, 1960) was an American jazz double bassist, cellist and composer. He was one of the earliest musicians to work in the bebop idiom. Biography Pettiford was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, United ...

(tracks 1-4 and 9) – bass *

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

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drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Carlos "Patato" Valdes Carlos Valdés Galán (November 4, 1926 – December 4, 2007), better known as Patato, was a Cuban conga player. In 1954, he emigrated from La Habana to New York City where he continued his prolific career as a sideman for several jazz and L ...

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conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

(tracks 1-4 and 9) *Richie Goldberg –

cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are t ...

(tracks 1-4 and 9)

References

{{Authority control Blue Note Records albums Albums produced by Alfred Lion Kenny Dorham albums 1955 albums Albums recorded at Van Gelder Studio Afro-Cuban jazz albums