Una Mas – Kenny Dorham
A classic Latin jazz head with an edgy rhythmic vibe that makes it immediately distinguishable. Solo piano arrangement also available.
- Recording: Kenny Dorham - Una Mas
- Recorded on: April 1, 1963
- Label: Blue Note (BLP 4127)
- Concert Key: B-flat
- Style: Latin (Mambo)
- Trumpet - Kenny Dorham
- Tenor Sax - Joe Henderson
- Piano - Herbie Hancock
- Bass - Butch Warren
- Drums - Tony Williams
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Video
- Roy Hargrove's Crisol band performing Una Mas
- Steve Grossman's version from his album "Homecoming" (Steve Grossman, tenor sax; Tom Browne, trumpet; Bill Washer, guitar; Larry Willis, piano; Ruben Rodriguez, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums; Roberto Quintero, congas; Ralph Irizarry, timbales)
- Ben Paterson, organ; Peter Bernstein, guitar; George Fludas, drums playing Una Mas - Live at The Green Mill
Our audio excerpt starts with Kenny Dorham's classic horn melody. It's set up on the recording by an eight-measure introduction: four measures of solo piano, then bass and drums enter, setting up the groove. The intro is included in the C treble clef lead sheet.
As Kenny Dorham says of the recording in the original liner notes: "The groove was very good. And when you get that relaxing a groove, you just don't stop. Besides, the enthusiasm of the other guys seemed to be rising as we went along so there was no danger of losing freshness." Una Mas became the whole first side of the original LP (15 minutes and 16 seconds!). Now, thanks to Amazon, you can download it as a separate track.
Kenny's two-horn arrangement from the original album is available; the separate parts include his classic shout chorus.
As Kenny Dorham says of the recording in the original liner notes: "The groove was very good. And when you get that relaxing a groove, you just don't stop. Besides, the enthusiasm of the other guys seemed to be rising as we went along so there was no danger of losing freshness." Una Mas became the whole first side of the original LP (15 minutes and 16 seconds!). Now, thanks to Amazon, you can download it as a separate track.
Kenny's two-horn arrangement from the original album is available; the separate parts include his classic shout chorus.
"Una Mas" was recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs.
In addition to being a Blue Note Records hit for Kenny Dorham, "Una Mas" was also Joe Henderson's first official recording date. The "Una Mas" rhythm section had already recorded together a month and a half earlier for Blue Note. That was Tony Williams's first recording ("Vertigo" / Jackie McLean). Pianist Ronnie Mathews had always told me that he played Una Mas with Kenny Dorham before Kenny's Blue Note recording. Thanks to a radio broadcast, an earlier performance (January 15, 1963) has now been released with Ronnie on piano, Kenny on trumpet and Joe Henderson on tenor sax. Interestingly, radio announcer Alan Grant calls it My Injun From Brazil. This track can be purchased on Amazon
.
The landmark April 1, 1963, session produced many masterpieces, among them Una Mas. Sao Paulo and Straight Ahead, also from this session, are also available on jazzleadsheets.com.
In addition to being a Blue Note Records hit for Kenny Dorham, "Una Mas" was also Joe Henderson's first official recording date. The "Una Mas" rhythm section had already recorded together a month and a half earlier for Blue Note. That was Tony Williams's first recording ("Vertigo" / Jackie McLean). Pianist Ronnie Mathews had always told me that he played Una Mas with Kenny Dorham before Kenny's Blue Note recording. Thanks to a radio broadcast, an earlier performance (January 15, 1963) has now been released with Ronnie on piano, Kenny on trumpet and Joe Henderson on tenor sax. Interestingly, radio announcer Alan Grant calls it My Injun From Brazil. This track can be purchased on Amazon
.The landmark April 1, 1963, session produced many masterpieces, among them Una Mas. Sao Paulo and Straight Ahead, also from this session, are also available on jazzleadsheets.com.
Solo Piano Arrangement: Don Sickler: "We're also making a solo piano arrangement by Ronnie Mathews available. Ronnie did this arrangement for me several years ago, before I knew that the performance of Ronnie with Kenny Dorham had been preserved. Ronnie had played a lot of K.D.'s music with him over the years, and he was always interested in being part of any K.D. project I was working on. In addition to playing with me in the T.S. Monk Band, which played several Dorham titles, Ronnie also played at Kenny's 75th Birthday Celebration and the other Dorham festivals at the Jazz Standard, NYC."
Kenny Dorham
August 30, 1924 – December 15, 1972
August 30, 2024, was Kenny Dorham's 100th birthday: jazzleadsheets.com has added 10 new K.D. compositions: K.D.News! Check them out! Kenny was inducted into the Lincoln Center Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame On October 16, 2024, with a Tribute Concert at Dizzy's Club. Four of Kenny's daughters were in attendance. Read more...