The perennially underrated Bill Hardman (1932-90) was one of the unsung trumpet heroes of the modern era. His raw sound and tense running attack were featured in three separate editions of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers the first and most memorable of which found him sharing the front line with Jackie McLean and Johnny Griffin. McLean who was already an established Prestige artist gave Hardman the spotlight on this 1956 blowing date recorded with a blue-ribbon rhythm section after the pair left Charles Mingus's workshop and before they joined Blakey. Cut from the analogue masters by renowned mastering engineer Kevin Gray 200-gram pressing by Quality Record Pressings has a flat edge profile and deep groove label true to the original LP Deluxe high-gloss tip-on album jacket Jackie McLean alto sax Bill Hardman trumpet Mal Waldron piano Paul Chambers bass Philly Joe Jones drums.
