Duke's Rare Groove

Jon Jung (jjung@mail.summer.hawaii.edu)
Mon, 8 Apr 1996 08:52:02 -1000


I noticed someone overlooked a good title from Blue Note's "Rare Groove"
series: Duke Pearson's unreleased-until-now "I Don't Care Who Knows It". It
was recorded soon after he played electric piano on Donald Byrd's "Fancy Free"
(which is my favorite Byrd album). The vinyl only has 6 tracks (including
"Xixbaba") but CD buyin' Brazilian music lovin' fools get an extra 5 tracks of
another unreleased session with Flora Purim, Airto, Jerry Dodgion and others
(included is an almost requisite cover of Edu Lobo's "Upa Neguinho").
For those who don't know Duke's stuff, he was known more as a sideman (with
Byrd and others) and a producer/A&R man for Blue Note records (I have picked up
almost everything he has produced because he has an excellent tracks record).
However, he also about ten or so albums for BN (Sweet Honey Bee, The Phantom,
The Right Touch, among others). I liken him to Horace Silver or Bobby Timmons
because no matter what he plays, he has a strong funky gospel approach to his
playing.

--Jon