Description

Art Taylor – A.T.’s Delight – 180 Gram Vinyl Record

Art Taylor spent much of his recording career helping other musicians' bands function at their best. A.T.'s Delight gives the drummer the leader's position, and the 1960 session shows how naturally he could translate that experience into a small-group album of his own. Trumpeter Dave Burns and tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine form the front line, with Wynton Kelly on piano and Paul Chambers on bass. Carlos 'Patato' Valdes adds congas, giving the rhythm section another voice alongside Taylor's drums. The program combines familiar modern-jazz compositions with less frequently encountered selections, and its character comes from the way this particular group brings out the rhythmic possibilities in the material.

The personnel make a strong case for hearing the record as more than a drummer's feature. Burns and Turrentine provide contrasting horn sounds, while Kelly and Chambers contribute the clarity and responsiveness associated with their own extensive small-group work. Valdes' congas change the texture of the ensemble without replacing Taylor's role. That additional percussion is one of the album's distinguishing details: it gives the band another set of accents and another way to connect phrases across the rhythm section. Taylor has the authority to set the pace, but the performances make room for the other players' personalities. His leadership is reflected in a group that sounds organized around shared rhythmic attention.

John Coltrane's 'Syeeda's Song Flute' opens the album, followed by Thelonious Monk's 'Epistrophy' and Denzil Best's 'Move.' These selections draw on different strands of modern jazz writing, from an engaging melodic theme to Monk's characteristic rhythmic and harmonic turns. Placing them together lets the band demonstrate range without abandoning the album's hard-bop setting. The horns have substantial material to work with before improvisation begins, and the rhythm section can emphasize different aspects of each tune. Taylor's choice of repertoire also makes sense for a musician whose sideman work had connected him with so many important players: this is music from a world he knew through direct musical participation.

The remaining selections, 'High Seas,' 'Cookoo and Fungi,' and 'Blue Interlude,' keep the program from becoming a collection built entirely around its most recognizable compositions. 'Cookoo and Fungi' is Taylor's own contribution, placing his writing beside pieces drawn from other musicians' books. Across the six tracks, the presence of congas and the strong piano-bass partnership help give the record its particular rhythmic profile. Turrentine's tenor and Burns' trumpet provide melodic definition above that foundation. The appeal lies in hearing a working drummer's understanding of arrangement, repertoire, and ensemble balance expressed through the choices of a leader. Taylor's name is on the sleeve, but the band's collective sound remains the main attraction.

A.T.'s Delight fits naturally alongside Blue Note's hard-bop small-group recordings while offering a lineup that differs from the standard two-horn quintet. It is particularly rewarding for listeners who know Taylor through other artists' records and want to hear the kind of group he assembled under his own name. Kelly, Chambers, Turrentine, Burns, and Valdes all contribute to that perspective, making the album useful both as a leader date and as a meeting of distinctive musicians. This is the Blue Note 80 edition of the original six-track album on a single 180-gram LP. Its all-analog mastering was carried out by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, with the record pressed at Optimal in Germany.

Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic