The Cats | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | December 1959 [1] [2] | |||
Recorded | April 18, 1957 | |||
Studio | Van Gelder Studio Hackensack, New Jersey | |||
Genre | ||||
Label | New Jazz/Prestige NJ-8217 | |||
Producer | Bob Weinstock | |||
Tommy Flanagan chronology | ||||
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The Cats is a jazz album released in December 1959 on New Jazz, a subsidiary label of Prestige Records. [1] [2] It is credited to pianist Tommy Flanagan, saxophonist John Coltrane, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and trumpeter Idrees Sulieman. It was issued after Coltrane's Prestige contract had ended. The record was the first to feature Coltrane, Burrell, and Flanagan playing together in a small group. Eleven months later, the three recorded Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane , which was first released in April of 1963 on the New Jazz label.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
All About Jazz | [3] |
AllMusic | [4] |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [5] |
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide | [6] |
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz | [7] |
In a five-star review for AllMusic, Michael G. Nastos wrote: "From the opening number... you realize something special is happening... The Cats is a prelude to much more music from all of these masters that would come within a very short time period thereafter, and cannot come more highly recommended. It's a must-buy for the ages." [4]
The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings stated: "it is Flanagan's stewardship of the house rhythm section that makes the gig his own... He is always at the heart of the action, helping out the hornmen when they lose their way, once or twice cutting through the verbiage to get back to the song." [5]
A reviewer for Billboard noted that the musicians "join forces... to good results," and called the recording "a swinging, driving album featuring some hard bop, smooth bop and pretty jazz as well." [8]
David Rickert of All About Jazz commented: "None of the tunes are all that challenging... as you might expect this gives the players plenty of opportunities to wail... The Cats isn't the best recording by any of these musicians, who recorded in various combinations elsewhere... but nevertheless The Cats is a solid album with plenty of tasty playing." [3]
All tracks are written by Tommy Flanagan except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Minor Mishap" | 7:26 | |
2. | "How Long Has This Been Going On?" | 5:58 | |
3. | "Eclypso" | 7:57 | |
4. | "Solacium" | 9:10 | |
5. | "Tommy's Time" | 11:58 |
Arthur S. Taylor Jr. was an American jazz drummer, who "helped define the sound of modern jazz drumming".
Douglas Watkins was an American jazz double bassist. He was best known for being an accompanist to various hard bop artists in the Detroit area, including Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean.
Idrees Sulieman was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter.
Sahib Shihab was an American jazz and hard bop saxophonist and flautist. He variously worked with Luther Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Fletcher Henderson, Tadd Dameron, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Clarke, John Coltrane and Quincy Jones among others.
The Prestige Recordings is a box set by jazz musician John Coltrane.
Trane's Blues is a compact disc credited to the jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1999 on Blue Note Records, catalogue 98240. It comprises recordings from sessions for Blue Note and United Artists Records with Coltrane as a sideman for Paul Chambers, Sonny Clark, Johnny Griffin, and Cecil Taylor. These recordings were issued respectively on their Whims of Chambers, Sonny's Crib, A Blowin' Session, and Hard Driving Jazz albums. Two selections are from Coltrane's own 1957 Blue Train, and "One for Four" had been previously unissued. "Trane's Blues" had been issued on the compilation High Step in 1975, previously known as "John Paul Jones" and named after himself, the bass player Chambers, and the drummer Philly Joe Jones. Like Prestige Records before them, as Coltrane's fame grew long after he had stopped recording for the label, Blue Note used varied recordings, often those where Coltrane had been merely a sideman, and reissued them as a new album with Coltrane's name prominently displayed. In this case, the Big Four conglomerate EMI continued that earlier practice.
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Jammin' in Hi Fi with Gene Ammons is an album by saxophonist Gene Ammons recorded in 1957 and released on the Prestige label.
Blue Gene is an album by saxophonist Gene Ammons recorded in 1958 and released on the Prestige label.
All Night Long is an album by the Prestige All Stars, later credited to guitarist Kenny Burrell, recorded in 1956 and released on the Prestige label.
Roots is an album by the Prestige All Stars nominally led by trumpeter Idrees Sulieman recorded in 1957 and released on the New Jazz label.
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