Music Monday: Kenny Dorham and Horace Silver

Last week both Kenny Dorham and Horace Silver celebrated birthdays and since they are both among my favorite, it felt like a good idea to post a couple albums that are always in the rotation here.

First is Kenny Dorham’s Una Mas (One More Time) from 1964. It’s a great ensemble featuring Joe Henderson on sax, Herbie Hancock on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. It sounds exactly like an album with that ensemble would sound like. Dorham is remarkable on trumpet. It’s always worth a listen:

Horace Silver’s Song for My Father (1965) is fantastic. Carmell Jones and Blue Mitchell (and to some extent Joe Henderson and Junior Cook) offer just the right brassy accompaniment to Silver’s piano. Check it out here. It feels like a perfect late summer album to listen to just as the trees start to change:

Enjoy your Labor Day. Here’s a bit of Labo(rado)r to help celebrate it: