''Blue Bossa'' is an album by New York Unit, consisting of tenor saxophonist George Adams, pianist

John Hicks Sir John Richards Hicks (8 April 1904 – 20 May 1989) was a British economist. He is considered one of the most important and influential economists of the twentieth century. The most familiar of his many contributions in the field of economic ...

, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer

Tatsuya Nakamura is a Japanese musician, drummer and actor. After performing with several prominent punk rock bands, Nakamura rose to fame as drummer of Blankey Jet City from 1987 to 2000. In 1996, he founded his solo project Losalios, where he performs every ...

which was recorded in 1990 and released in Japan.New York Unit Catalog
accessed December 6, 2017

Recording and music

The album was recorded at Music Inn Studio, Tokyo, on December 16, 1990. The musicians were George Adams (tenor sax),

(piano), Richard Davis (bass), and

(drums)."New York Unit Discography"
jazzdisco.org. Retrieved August 3, 2017. "A Minor Melody" is performed by Hicks and Davis, with the bassist playing both arco and pizzicato.Dryden, Ke
"New York Unit – Blue Bossa"
AllMusic. Retrieved August 3, 2017.

Release

''Blue Bossa'' was released by

Paddle Wheel Records , commonly known as King Records, is a Japanese record company founded in January 1931 as a division of the Japanese publisher Kodansha. It initially began operating as an independent entity in the 1950s. It later became part of the Otowa Group ...

. Bellaphon were licensed to release it in Europe.

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 Ken Dryden stated "Things immediately gel during the brisk take of Kenny Dorham's "Blue Bossa," with Adams seemingly energized by the strong rhythm section. The quartet offers a lyrical performance of "Monk's Mood" followed by Sir Roland Hanna's classically flavored "A Minor Melody," which showcases Davis playing both arco and pizzicato bass, backed by Hicks in a duo setting. Adams' hard bop vehicle sounds like it would be a perfect set-closer for a live date. They wrap their studio date with an explosive rendition of "Take the 'A' Train."".

Track listing

# "

Blue Bossa "Blue Bossa" is an instrumental jazz composition by Kenny Dorham. It was introduced on Joe Henderson's 1963 album '' Page One''. A blend of hard bop and bossa nova, the tune was possibly influenced by Dorham's visit to the Rio de Janeiro Jazz Fest ...

" (

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 ...

) – 8:40 # "The Everywhere Calypso" (

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...

) – 7:40 # "

I Thought About You "I Thought About You" is a 1939 popular song composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Background It was one of three collaborations Van Heusen and Mercer wrote for the Mercer-Morris publishing company started by Mercer and f ...

" (

Jimmy Van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Life and care ...

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...

) – 8:01 # "Monk's Mood" (

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", "B ...

) – 8:49 #"A Minor Melody" (

Roland Hanna Roland Pembroke Hanna (February 10, 1932 – November 13, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and teacher. Biography Hanna studied classical piano from the age of 11, but was strongly interested in jazz, having been introduced to i ...

) – 7:15 #"Blues for Moment" (George Adams) – 5:09 #"Misako and Beautiful Shores" (Richard Davis) – 5:17 #"

Take the "A" Train "Take the 'A' Train" is a jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn that was the signature tune of the Duke Ellington orchestra. History The use of the Strayhorn composition as the signature tune was made necessary by a ruling in 1940 by the American ...

" (

Billy Strayhorn William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take ...

) – 6:59

Personnel

* George Adams – tenor sax *

– piano * Richard Davis – bass *

– drums

References

{{Authority control 1990 albums John Hicks (jazz pianist) albums