Personnel:

Blue Mitchell (tp), Junior Cook (ts), Dolo Coker, Ronnie Mathews, Cedar Walton (p), Gene Taylor (b), Roy Brooks (d)

As befitting two who were to be key members of the early 1960s Horace Silver Quintet, Richard Allen (Blue) Mitchell (1930-1979) and Herman (Junior) Cook (1934-1992) were among the finer exponents of the hard bop school of the time.

Equally fittingly, when they made Cooks Junior Cookin and Mitchells The Cup Bearers together, they used Silvers rhythm section, minus the man himself, whose place was taken by Dolo Coker alternating with Ronnie Mathews on the former, and by Cedar Walton on the latter. And unsurprisingly, the results, honest, forthright and inventive, possessed a hard-swinging unity that satisfies to this day.

That unity was emphasized by contrasting characteristics of the two Florida-born leaders. While both were powerful soloists, strong and individual, Mitchell was perhaps the more lyrical of the two, his work expressed with a lovely singing tone, while Cooks personal synthesis of several postbop tenor styles produced a more direct and heated player. Buttressed by the well-schooled, superior talents of Coker and Mathews, and the marvelous Walton in a thoroughly sympathetic rhythm section completed by Gene Taylor and Roy Brooks, the mixture gelled emphatically.

Tracklist:

01. Mzar (Roland Alexander) 7:15

02. Turbo Village (Charles Davis) 5:45

03. Easy Living (Robin-Rainger) 6:12

04. Blue Farouq (Blue Mitchell) 3:54

05. Sweet Cakes (Blue Mitchell) 5:24

06. Field Day (Dolo Coker) 3:54

07. Pleasure Bent (Roland Alexander) 6:28

08. Turquoise (Cedar Walton) 5:00

09. Dingbat Blues (Charles Davis) 5:37

10. Capers (Tom McIntosh) 6:01

11. Cup Bearers (Tom McIntosh) 6:13

12. How Deep Is the Ocean? (Irving Berlin) 6:41

13. Tiger Lily (Thad Jones) 8:30

Sources:

Tracks #1-7, from the album "Juniors Cookin'" (Jazzland JLP-958)

Tracks #8-13, from the album "The Cup Bearers" (Riverside RLP 9439)

Personnel on Juniors Cookin':

Blue Mitchell, trumpet; Junior Cook, tenor sax; Dolo Coker (on #4-6) or Ronnie Mathews (on #1-3, 7), piano; Gene Taylor, bass; Roy Brooks, drums.

Recorded at Gold Star Studios, Long Beach, California, April 10 (#4-6) & Plaza Sound Studios, New York City, December 4 (#1-3, 7), 1961

Personnel on The Cup Bearers:

Blue Mitchell, trumpet; Junior Cook, tenor sax; Cedar Walton, piano; Gene Taylor, bass; Roy Brooks, drums.

Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York City, August 28 & 30, 1962

Original recordings produced by Orrin Keepnews and Russell Jacquet (#4-6)

Sound engineers: Ray Fowler & Stan Ross (#4-6)

Original photography & designs:

Jim Marshall & Steve Shapiro (Jazzland)

Ken Deardoff (Riverside)

This CD release produced by Jordi Pujol

Stereo · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered

Note: Since the maximum playing time of a CD is 80 minutes, it has been necessary to leave out the track Why Do I Love You? from Blue Mitchells The Cup Bearers. It has been added as a bonus track on the CD Blue Mitchell and Orchestra (FSR-790)