Características
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, trumpeter Dizzy Reece moved to London at the age of 17 and soon began performing in various European cities, most notably Paris, where he had the great opportunity to play with artists such as Don Byas and Kenny Clarke. During this period, Reece also caught the attention of Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, who spoke highly of a new and exceptional trumpeter on the European music scene. When Donald Byrd and Art Taylor came to Paris on tour in 1958, they offered Reece the chance to join them in their concerts, which proved such a success that it opened the doors to the recording studio for them to record “In Trinity” – the album that marked Reece's debut on the Blue Note label.
Encouraged by Lion, Reece moved to New York the following year, where the owner of Blue Note quickly got him into a recording studio with a top-notch hard bop band that included tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, pianist Wynton Kelly, double bassist Paul Chambers and Art Taylor on drums. The resulting album, “Star Bright”, is one of the most underrated gems in the Blue Note catalog, showcasing Reece's talent in a six-track program that includes some of his bluesy original compositions, such as “The Rake”, “Groovesville”, “The Rebound” and “A Variation On Monk”. The set is rounded out by two swing standards, “I'll Close My Eyes” and “I Wished On The Moon”, which showcase Reece's sublime melodies at their finest.
As part of the extremely popular “Blue Note 85th Anniversary Reissue Series” Universal Music Japan presents the sonically impressive remastering of this jazz classic by the legendary Kevin Gray, who is also responsible for Blue Note US's analog reissues such as “Tone Poet” and “Classic Vinyl” – as a limited Japan only UHQCD with OBI stripe. The original recording session for “Star Bright” took place on November 19, 1959 at Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
UHQCD
1. The Rake
2. I’ll Close My Eyes
3. Groovesville
4. The Rebound
5. I Wished On The Moon
6. A Variation On Monk