Trompeta Toccata Review
by Scott Yanow
It seems strange and somewhat tragic that this was trumpeter Kenny Dorham's last full album as a leader for he was only 40 at the time and still in his prime. Dorham contributed three of the four selections to the session (Joe Henderson's catchy "Mamacita" also receives its debut), and his very underrated abilities as a writer, trumpeter, and talent scout are very much in evidence. This modern hard bop quintet set with Henderson on tenor, pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath served as a strong (if premature) ending to Dorham's impressive career as a solo artist.
Kenny Dorham Trompeta Toccata
All tracks composed by Kenny Dorham, except where noted.
- "Trompeta Toccata" - 12:21
- "Night Watch" - 5:44
- "Mamacita" (Joe Henderson) - 11:02
- "The Fox" - 7:59
- Kenny Dorham - trumpet
- Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone
- Tommy Flanagan - piano
- Richard Davis - double bass
- Albert Heath - drums
Trompeta Toccata is a 1964 jazz album by trumpeter Kenny Dorham. It was released on Blue Note label in 1965 as BST 84181. It was remastered by original recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder in 2006. Trompeta Toccata, as with Dorham's previous album Una Mas, features only four pieces, three of which were written by the trumpeter himself. Trompeta Toccata would be his last appearance as a leader; Bob Blumenthal wrote in his 2006 liner notes for the album that "the remainder of Dorhams' recorded career was confined to sideman appearances that can be counted on the fingers of one hand".[4]
Dorham felt very satisfied working with these musicians - Joe Henderson, Tommy Flanagan, Richard Davis and especially Albert Heath - "he always kept the soloist sparked up."[5] About Henderson, he stated "He never fails to excite me" explaining "For instance, after I played him the melody of 'Trompeta Toccata', he wrote the chords for it. And what he wrote is what I heard in my own ear". Dorham chose the title Trompeta Toccata "since the term "toccata" comes from a Latin language base, and since the song is in 6/8 with an Afro-Latin feeling; it seemed logical to make the whole title Latin".[5] According to Dorham, "Night Watch", a bluesy piece, speaks of the night and darkness; "It's very late at night, and the mood is what comes when you're alone at that time". "Mamacita" is a 12-bars bossa nova. During its recording, Dorham recalls that once they got started on it, they caught fire; even Blue Note producer Alfred Lion and photographer Francis Wolff began to move to rhythm.[5] "The Fox" has a 12-8-12 bars structure and is a sort of look to the past, since, in his boyhood, Dorham used to trap foxes for hides. According to Dorham, the piece was so titled also because of Richard Davis' "fox-like look".[citation needed]
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