Great Jazz Albums (IMO) #47

Elmo Hope.  The All Star Sessions (1956-61; released in 1976).  Elmo Hope is another unsung but brilliant jazz pianist.  (See also Sonny Clark, Kenny Barron, Wynton Kelly, Barry Harris.)  A boyhood friend of the great Bud Powell, Hope has been described as "one of the most gifted and original artists of the hard bop period."  Despite his drug problems and premature death at the age of 47 in 1967, Hope recorded with many of the jazz greats and "left a substantial legacy of intriguing and memorable compositions."  This is reflected on The All Star Sessions, which consists of Hope's playing in three different settings.  As another review describes, there is the "four-song jam session that has lengthy solos from trumpeter Donald Byrd and the contrasting tenors John Coltrane and Hank Mobley, along with fine support from bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Jones."  Next, are "the 1961 dates consisting of a sextet outing with trumpeter Blue Mitchell and the tenors of Jimmy Heath and Frank Foster" and "four numbers played with the trio," with bassist Percy Heath and drummer Philly Joe Jones.  Quite a group of All Stars, indeed, and an album aptly described as "excellent music from an underrated great."

[Related posts:  Great Jazz Albums  #1 (Hank Mobley), #2 (Horace Silver), #3 (Sonny Rollins), #4 (Sonny Clark), #5 (Dexter Gordon), #6 (Cannonball Adderley); #7 (Bill Evans), #8 (McCoy Tyner), #9 (Clifford Brown), #10 (Sinatra), #11 (Monk), #12 (Kenny Dorham), #13 (Coltrane), #14 (Duke Ellington), #15 (Miles Davis), #16 (Wayne Shorter), #17 (Dinah Washington); #18 (Sarah Vaughan); #19 (Stan Getz); #20 (Blue Mitchell); #21 (Gene Ammons); #22 (Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers); #23 (Red Garland); #24 (Ella Fitzgerald); #25 (Charlie Parker); #26 (Art Pepper); #27 (Bud Powell); #28 (John Hicks); #29 (Kenny Barron); #30 (Coleman Hawkins); #31 (Count Basie);  #32 (Benny Carter w/ Ben Webster and Barney Bigard); #33 (Chet Baker); #34 (Thad  Jones); #35 (The Great Jazz Trio); #36 (Ahmad Jamal); #37 (Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond); #38 (Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis); #39 (Charles McPherson);  #40 (Harold Land); #41 Booker Little); #42 (Elis Regina & Antonio Carlos Jobim); #43 (Art Farmer & Benny Golson); #44 (Wynton Kelly); #45 (Tony Bennett/Bill Evans; # 46 (Barry Harris)]