Kenny Dorham

KENNY DORHAM - SINGS AND PLAY: THIS IS THE MOMENT (1958)

1. Autumn Leaves
2. I Remember Clifford
3. Since I Fell For You
4. I Understand
5. From This Moment On
6. This Is The Moment
7. Angel Eyes
8. Where Are You?
9. Golden Earrings
10. Make Me A Present Of You

The release of this recording must have surprised most jazz listeners at the time, for trumpeter Kenny Dorham sings on all ten selections. He had never hinted at any desire to sing previously (although he had sung a blues regularly with Dizzy Gillespie & His Orchestra in the 1940s) and, as it turned out, this was his one and only vocal album; the sales were probably quite a bit less than Chet Baker's records of the period. Dorham had an OK voice, musical if not memorable, but the arrangements for these selections (which utilize his trumpet and Curtis Fuller's trombone, both of which are muted all the time) are inventive and pleasing. The supportive rhythm section is also an asset; pianist Cedar Walton made his recording debut on this album (released on CD via the Original Jazz Classics imprint), which is a historical curiosity. ~ Scott Yanow