Columbia · in the Kissa Kissa racks
Drum Suite
| Recorded | Dec 13, 1956 & Feb 22, 1957 |
|---|---|
| Label | Columbia |
| Released | 1956 |
| Personnel | 11 credited players |
| Discogs | master 264955 |
The record
Jo Jones and Specs Wright pile percussion behind Blakey on this Columbia curiosity, McLean's alto and the horns built for orchestral scale rather than a working quintet.
Session personnel
- Jackie McLean — alto saxophone [alto]
- Candido — bongos
- Sabu Martinez — bongos
- Spanky DeBrest — double bass [bass]
- Oscar Pettiford — double bass [bass], cello
- Art Blakey — drums
- Jo Jones — drums
- Specs Wright — drums, timpani [tympani], gong
- Ray Bryant — piano
- Sam Dockery — piano
- Bill Hardman — trumpet
Contemporary reception
The first side of the disk is entirely devoted to the afro-cuban influence, and stars ace drummers Art Blakey and Jo Jo Jones with assorted help from Ray Bryant (piano), Oscar Pettiford (bass), and bongo players Sabu and Candido. The flip is all in the hands of the Jazz Messengers as they cavort through 3 originals. Excellent sound. Beautiful work on a well-rounded jazz disk.
Pressings
The 1957 US Columbia mono, CL 1002, is the earliest listing here, in several variants -- a promo, a Hollywood pressing and a CBS pressing -- alongside a Canadian CL 1002 and a UK Philips BBL.7196 from the same year. Nothing separates those 1957 copies by date, so judge them on labels and condition rather than chasing one variant. Columbia repressed CL 1002 in 1967. For a modern mono, Impex cut IMP6019 in 2014 and repressed it in 2023.
Showing the first pressing, audiophile reissues and copies carrying a collector marker, out of 39 pressings on file.
| 1957 | Columbia · CL 1002 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono earliest on file |
|---|---|
| 1958 | Coronet (2) · KLP 689 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono · deep groove; laminated sleeve |
| 1957 | Columbia — MONO |
| 1957 | Philips · BBL.7196 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono |
| 1957 | Columbia · CL 1002 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono |
| 1957 | Columbia · CL 1002 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Promo, Mono |
| 1957 | Columbia · CL 1002 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, Hollywood Press |
| 1957 | Columbia · CL 1002 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, Hollywood Press |
| 1957 | Columbia · CL 1002 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, CBS |
| 1958 | Coronet (2) · KLP 689 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono |
| 1967 | Columbia · CL 1002 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Mono |
| 1974 | CBS · CBS 88042 — Vinyl, LP, Compilation |
| 1983 | CBS · CBS 21067 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Mono |
| 1983 | CBS · CBS 21067 — Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Mono |
Follow the players
Jackie McLean also plays on
Candido also plays on
Sabu Martinez also plays on