John Hardee - A Little Blue, 1975- cd 1999 The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions

Hard-hitting tenor work from the great John Hardee – a player we know best from his early Blue Note singles of the late 40s, but who's still going strong on this mid 70s recording! Hardee's got a strong-voiced tone that's an important (but often overlooked) force in the tenor transition from swing to bop to later soul jazz – and he plays here in a mode that's drenched in tradition, yet always freshly personal – with a sheer raw power that recalls the sound of Willis Jackson at his best! The group on the set is a quintet, with Gene "Mighty Flea" Conners on trombone, Gerald Wiggins on piano, Bil Pemberton on basss, and Oliver Jackson on drums – snapping the kit wonderfully to bring a strong groove into most numbers. Titles include "Upstairs", "New Avenue", "Sleep Walking", "These Foolish Things", "ODB", and "Cruising Along".  © 1996-2017, Dusty Groove, Inc.

1     Sleep Walking       9:33
2     These Foolish Things
              Composed By – Holt Marvell, Written By – Harry Link    5:57
3     Cruising Along    9:39
4     O.D.B.        12:08
5     A Little Blue      11:01
6     Upstairs (Take 2)     7:43
7     A New Avenue    10:26

All Composed By John Hardee, except track 02

    Bass – Bill Pemberton
    Drums – Oliver Jackson
    Piano – Gerry Wiggins
    Remastered By – Amaury Groc
    Tenor Saxophone – John Hardee
    Trombone – Gene "Mighty Flea" Conners

 Recorded July 26, 1975 at "Les pieds dansl'eau" Studio, Antibes, France