If you own jazz recordings by saxophonists Harold Land or Curtis Amy, you may be familiar with trumpeter Dupree Bolton. Amidst his numerous arrests and incarcerations, Bolton was a fine modern jazz player beyond the lyrical tone of Lee Morgan and just shy of Freddie Hubbard. Where his personal story, beginning circa 1929 in Oklahoma City and ending at the Marina Convalescent Hospital in Alameda in 1993, is a tragic one of ignorance and drug addiction, Bolton's playing in his prime should be considered as good as any in the early '60s. This is a curious collection featuring previously unissued material from a Los Angeles radio broadcast with Amy's sextet, two tracks for the Pacific Jazz label with a co-op sextet, and a tenet from 1980 recorded at the Joseph Harp Correctional Center in Lexington, OK. Hard and post-bop form the centerpiece, but you get some contemporary original soul funky sounds as well. Bolton's sound is faithfully represented, a solid tone that expresses a vocal quality, not particularly flashy, but strong melodically. The Winter 1963 selections from the Frank Evans hosted program #Frankly Jazz are bookended by Bolton's theme and the emcee's announcements, including a short Summertime with Amy up front and Bolton sublimated. But the trumpeter steps up on Amy's famous quintessential hard bopper, Katanga, with short thematic phrases leading to solid solos. Pianist Dolo Coker is included, and sounds great with his two-handed power chords and wealth of ideas surrounding the horn players, while guitarist H. Ray Crawford delicately strums or plucks rhythmic strains expertly and tastefully. A basic Blues for Amy in the vein of Horace Silver, and a ballad feature for Bolton, Laura, expand the concept of this excellent combo.

1		Theme
2		Summertime
3		Katanga
4		Laura
5		Blues for Amy
6		Theme
7		Joe and I
8		Midnite Lament
9		Willie Monroe Narrator/Dubree Bolton Spoken Intro
10		Monk's Tunnel
11		John's Tune
12		Shackle Blues
13		Chano

	Like us on Facebook
	@SoundHound	Follow