Dizzy Reece: Blues In Trinity LP (Blue Note Tone Poet Series)

Blue Note, 1958

The Kingston, Jamaica born trumpeter Dizzy Reece moved to London at age 17 and began performing across Europe, most frequently in Paris, where he played with the likes of Don Byas and Kenny Clarke. Reece also made fans of Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins who spread the word about a hot new trumpeter on the European scene. So when trumpeter Donald Byrd and drummer Art Taylor came through Paris on tour in 1958 they sought out Reece and even found their way into the recording studio together in London for a UK-US jazz summit that would become Reece’s Blue Note debut: Blues In Trinity. The date was produced by Tony Hall who had cut several sessions with Reece for Decca Records’ imprint Tempo that had caught the ear of Alfred Lion, and an arrangement was made for Blue Note to release the new album. Reece delivers bravado performances throughout—including the stunning ballad feature “I Had The Craziest Dream”—with Byrd joining for some friendly sparring on “Close-Up” and “Color Blind.” Taylor anchors the rhythm section throughout with British pianist Terry Shannon and Canadian bassist Lloyd Thompson, but the album’s ace-up-the-sleeve is arguably British tenor saxophonist Tubby Hayes who is a robust presence on standout tracks including the opener “Blues In Trinity” and the Monk classic “‘Round About Midnight.”