A truly wonderful advanced hard bop date,
Wahoo
captures pianist
Duke Pearson
at his most adventurous and creative. With the exception of
Donald Byrd
's closing
"Fly Little Bird Fly,"
Pearson
wrote all of the material on this six-song album, and his compositions are clever, melodic, and unpredictable without being cloying or inaccessible. He has assembled a first-rate sextet to perform the material, enlisting trumpeter
Byrd
, tenor saxophonist
Joe Henderson
, bassist
Bob Cranshaw
, alto saxophonist/flautist
James Spaulding
, and drummer
Mickey Roker
. Even the subdued
"Wahoo"
and
"ESP"
search out new territory with their subtle themes and exploratory solo sections. The key to the success of
is that
is a gifted arranger, creating nimble, challenging arrangements that are accessible, but reveal more details upon each listen. As a pianist, he has moved beyond his initial
Bud Powell
influence and reveals new aspects of his technique.
Henderson
,
, and
Spaulding
are equally impressive, helping elevate
to one of the finest sophisticated hard bop dates
Blue Note
released in the mid-'60s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine