Description
Curtis Fuller – The Opener – Vinyl Record
Curtis Fuller’s The Opener introduces the trombonist as a Blue Note leader through a six-track program that balances original material with familiar songs. Recorded in 1957, the album gives the trombone a prominent melodic role within an engaging small-group setting. Fuller’s instrument brings a distinctive warmth and weight to the front line, making the session an appealing choice for listeners who enjoy hearing a less frequently featured horn at the center of a jazz record. The performances also benefit from changes in ensemble size, with quartet and quintet settings offering different perspectives on the leader’s sound throughout the two sides.
Fuller is joined by Bobby Timmons on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Art Taylor on drums, with Hank Mobley adding tenor saxophone on four of the six selections. The session was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s Hackensack studio on June 16, 1957. That personnel brings together musicians with recognizable individual voices, but the group remains focused on the needs of each piece. Timmons, Chambers and Taylor supply the continuity between the different front-line settings. Mobley’s tenor offers a complementary horn voice where it appears, while the quartet tracks give Fuller more space to establish the character of the melody on his own.
A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening opens Side A with the quartet, placing Fuller’s trombone in direct conversation with piano, bass and drums. Beginning with a song in that setting lets the listener become familiar with the leader’s phrasing before the second horn enters the program. Hugore follows, then Oscalypso completes the side. The change from the opening quartet to the quintet adds another dimension to the record’s sound without disturbing the coherence of the session. Across these selections, the interest lies in the way a shared instrumental setting can support different themes and make room for each musician’s contribution.
Side B begins with Here’s to My Lady, the other quartet performance on the album. Its placement echoes the opening of the first side, again returning attention to Fuller as the sole horn before the group expands. Lizzy’s Bounce and Soon then complete the program with Mobley present. That arrangement gives the LP a useful sense of balance: each side begins by focusing on the trombone’s individual voice, then moves toward the additional color of the two-horn ensemble. Listening in the original sequence makes those changes easy to appreciate and gives the six-track program a clear shape from start to finish.
The Opener is a rewarding choice for listeners interested in the trombone’s place in small-group modern jazz. Fuller’s lead role makes it possible to hear how the instrument can carry a familiar melody, take part in a front-line pairing and guide the character of an entire session. The rhythm section provides another reason to spend time with the album, particularly for listeners following the work of Timmons, Chambers or Taylor across different recordings. Mobley’s contributions add a further connection to the Blue Note catalog. The album’s appeal comes from that combination of a distinctive leader and an ensemble with plenty of character around him.
This vinyl edition belongs to Blue Note’s 75th-anniversary reissue series and presents the original six-track album. The program contains three selections on each side, preserving the movement between quartet and quintet performances that gives the record its balance. For a Fuller collection, The Opener marks an important early Blue Note session; for a broader jazz collection, it offers an approachable encounter with his trombone-centered group sound. The combination of recognizable standards, contrasting ensemble textures and concise album structure makes it a satisfying record to play in full. It invites attention to both the leader’s melodic presence and the contributions that give the session its collective personality.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Side A
1. A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening
2. Hugore
3. Oscalypso
Side B
1. Here’s to My Lady
2. Lizzy’s Bounce
3. Soon
