''Dakar'' is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

album by saxophonist

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

. It was released in 1963 on Prestige Records. ''Dakar'' is a reissue of one side of the rpm LP ''

Baritones and French Horns ''Baritones and French Horns'' is a rpm album released in August 1958 by Prestige Records. The album is one of a series of releases attributed to the ''Prestige All Stars''. Each side of the album was a distinct date with distinct personnel ...

'' (1958), a session led by

Pepper Adams Park Frederick "Pepper" Adams III (October 8, 1930 – September 10, 1986) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. He composed 42 pieces, was the leader on eighteen albums spanning 28 years, and participated in 600 sessions as a s ...

and

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 ...

on which Coltrane was a sideman. ''Dakar'' was one of several 1960s Prestige reissues featuring Coltrane to take advantage of his growing stardom in the 1960s.

Reception

In a review for

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 databa ...

, Lindsay Planer wrote: "Although at the time these were considered 'leaderless' units, upon hearing the interaction of the participants, modern ears might desire to qualify that statement" given the nature of Coltrane's contribution. Chris May of ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'' commented: "It's rough and ready music, almost certainly rehearsed for the first time in the studio... but it sure is ''ready''... A minor chapter in the Coltrane canon it may be, but ''Dakar'' is a characterful set of propulsive, pre-codification hard bop and still a delight over half a century later."

Track listing

# "Dakar" (Teddy Charles) — 7:09 # "Mary's Blues" (Pepper Adams) — 6:47 # "Route 4" (Charles) — 6:55 # "Velvet Scene" (Waldron) — 4:53 # "Witches Pit" (Adams) — 6:42 # "Catwalk" (Charles) — 7:11

Personnel

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 ...

- baritone saxophone *

- baritone saxophone * Mal Waldron - piano *

Doug Watkins Douglas Watkins (March 2, 1934 – February 5, 1962) was an American jazz double bassist. He was best known for being an accompanist to various hard bop artists in the Detroit area, including Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean. Biography Watkins ...

- bass * Art Taylor - drums

References

1963 albums John Coltrane albums Prestige Records albums Hard bop albums Reissue albums Albums recorded at Van Gelder Studio Albums recorded in a home studio {{1960s-jazz-album-stub