Blue Mitchell was always a
consistent, lyrical, and pleasing trumpeter. Although not as
significant during the 1960s as Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard (much
less Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis), Mitchell had his own appealing
sound and was a major asset on many modern mainstream dates. This
four-CD limited-edition Mosaic box set collects Mitchell's first six
Blue Note dates as a leader: Step Lightly, The Thing to Do, Down With It, Bring It Home to Me, Boss Horn, and Heads Up.Three albums are by his quintet, which included tenor saxophonist Junior Cook and usually the young pianist Chick Corea and was formed shortly after he left Horace Silver, and the three others are with larger groups, two of which have arrangements by Duke Pearson. Among the other key sidemen are tenor great Joe Henderson, altoist Leo Wright, baritonist Pepper Adams, and pianists Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner. There are just two previously unreleased cuts (both alternate takes), but most of the sets have been somewhat rare for years, and taken as a whole, the swinging hard bop and boogaloo performances are Blue Mitchell's finest recordings as a leader.
- Blue Mitchell Trumpet,
- Harold Mabern Piano
- Ron McMaster Mastering
- Mickey Roker Drums
- Gene Taylor Bass
- Burt Collins Trumpet
- Chick Corea Piano
- Al Foster Drums
- Rudy Van Gelder Engineer
- Pepper Adams Sax (Baritone)
- Roy Brooks Drums
- Junior Cook Sax (Tenor)
- Herbie Hancock Piano
- Billy Higgins Drums
- Duke Pearson Arranger
- Julian Priester Trombone
- Cedar Walton Piano
- Leo Wright Sax (Alto)
Disc I
01. Mamacita (5:49)
02. Sweet And Lovely (7:47)
03. Andrea (5:17)
04. Step Lightly (8:32)
05. Cry Me A River (6:48)
06. Bluesville (4:11)
07. Fungii Mama (7:48)
08. Mona's Mood (5:17)
09. The Thing To Do (7:03)
Disc II
01. Step Lightly (10:25)
02. Chick's Tune (9:37)
03. Hi Heel Sneakers (8:24)
04. Perception (5:41)
05. Alone, Alone And Alone (7:45)
06. March On Selma (6:16)
07. One Shirt (7:30)
08. Samba De Stacy (5:59)
Disc III
01. Bring It Home To Me (7:58)
02. Blues 3 For 1 (6:05)
03. Port Rico Rock (6:34)
04. Gingerbread Boy (6:37)
05. Portrait Of Jennie (5:40)
06. Blue's Theme (5:24)
07. Millie (6:22)
08. O Mama Enit (5:36)
09. I Should Care (7:32)
10. Rigor Mortez (6:22)
Disc IV
01. Tones For Joan's Bones (6:38)
02. Straight Up And Down (6:40)
03. Heads Up! Feet Down! (6:00)
04. Togetherness (6:50)
05. The Folks Who Live On The Hill (5:33)
06. Good Humor Man (5:40)
07. Len Sirrah (7:20)
08. The People In Nassau (5:40)
09. Togetherness (alternate take) (6:38)
10. Good Humor Man (alternate take) (5:13)
