Una Mas

Una Mas, on the front cover titled Una Mas (One More Time), is a jazz album by trumpeter Kenny Dorham and his quintet, released in 1963 on Blue Note as BLP 4127 and BST 84127. The album would be the next-to-last studio session led by the trumpeter, since after 1964, he began to fade[4] and disappear from the jazz scenes. Una Mas features three compositions by Dorham himself and the jazz ballad "If Ever I Would Leave You", originally composed by Loewe/Lerner for the musical Camelot.

Una Mas
Studio album by
Kenny Dorham
ReleasedEarly January 1964[1]
RecordedApril 1, 1963
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
GenreJazz
Length36:44
LabelBlue Note
BST 84127
ProducerAlfred Lion
Kenny Dorham chronology
Matador
(1962)		 Una Mas
(1964)		 Trompeta Toccata
(1964)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[3]

At the time, Dorham was not yet well known in the jazz scene, and the musician felt this lacking of acknowledgement. Replying to Hentoff, he said:

All I can say is that if it's going to happen, it'll happen. But it's going to have to happen within a reasonable time. After all, I'll soon be into my 25th year on the trumpet. Anyway, however it goes, I'll just keep playing. That's where the basic satisfaction is at.[5]

The pieces

"Una Mas" is a 16-bar tune pertaining to bossa nova genre. Dorham felt positive about it: "The groove was very good. [...] You can switch to almost any kind of feeling when you're improvising on this; from bossa nova to blues."[5] Dorham recorded "Una Mas" firstly in San Francisco, in 1961, and was published with the title "US" on Inta Somethin'.[6] "At the time, the tune had a shuffle beat and a written introduction that is omitted here".[6] "Sao Paolo" is dedicated to the Brazilian city, where Dorham had been in 1960, during a tour.[5] According to Dorham himself, the piece has "a half bossa feeling and the other half is something else".[5] " The last piece "If Ever I Would Leave You", as above-mentioned, is a composition by Loewe/Lerner. This piece was not part of the original LP release, and was issued only in 1987. According to Bob Blumenthal's notes, it was "probably omitted because it presented a different feeling from the rest of the material".[6]

Track listing

All compositions by Kenny Dorham, except where noted

  1. "Una Mas (One More Time)" - 15:19
  2. "Straight Ahead" - 8:58
  3. "Sao Paolo" - 7:20
  4. "If Ever I Would Leave You" (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe) - 5:07

Personnel

References
  1. Billboard Jan 18, 1964
  2. Yanow, Scott (2011). "Una Mas - Kenny Dorham | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  3. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 64. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  4. Ron Wynn. "Kenny Dorham | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  5. Original liner notes by Nat Hentoff
  6. Bob Blumenthal's 1999 liner notes
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