Recorded for a small label that proceeded to go broke,
Dedication! would not be released until nine years after its initial recording. This seems odd considering the all-star cast of players. Pianist
Duke Pearson is joined by trumpeter
Freddie Hubbard, baritone player
Pepper Adams, trombonist Willie Wilson, bassist Thomas Howard, and drummer
Lex Humphries on seven selections. The set kicks off with
Tommy Flanagan's "Minor Mishap," an upbeat piece that brings forth nice solos from everyone. This might be
Pearson's session, but everybody is given plenty of room to cut loose. Wilson, for instance, is featured for the length of "The Nearness of You" and for a great deal of "Time After Time." This is fortunate in retrospect; he made few recordings and would pass away in 1963, two years after this record was made.
Pearson also turns in a number of nice solos. Like
Hank Jones, his light touch serves him well on instrumentals like "Blues for Alvina" and "Time After Time." The performances by
Hubbard and
Adams are topnotch throughout; they turn in first-rate work on numbers like
Donald Byrd's "Lex" and the
Pearson original "The Number Five." An important factor in the success of this album is the unusual combination of trumpet, trombone, and baritone saxophone that creates a resonant, full sound.
Pearson would make a number of other fine recordings for Blue Note during the '60s, but none finer than this one.
Dedication! serves as a fine introduction to a talented pianist. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.