"Kenny Dorham's debut as a leader found the 29-year-old trumpeter more than ready to take control; unfortunately, he spent virtually his entire career in the shadows of other trumpeters." - Allmusic.com
Kenny Dorham, trumpet, vocals; Jimmy Heath, tenor sax; Walter Bishop Jr., piano; Percy Heath, bass; Kenny Clarke, drums.
Session #1: NYC, October 21, 1953. Tracks: Chicago Blues, Lonesome Lover Blues
Session #2: Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, December 15, 1953. Tracks: An Oscar For Oscar, Ruby, My Dear, Be My Love, Osmosis, I Love You, Darn That Dream
"The marvellous 1953 quintet features gulping blues passages that manage to thrive on the thinnest harmonic oxygen; never a mere showman, it is Dorham's stamina that impresses, a concentration and attention to detail that makes him one of the most coherent and structurally aware of the bebop players." - Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD