Trumpeter Johnny Coles, a player best known for his associations with Gil Evans, the Charles Mingus Quintet, and Herbie Hancock's late 60s Sextet, led relatively few albums of his own. Recorded in 1963, Little Johnny C is universally recognized as Johnny Coles's finest recording. Cole's soulful trumpet is heard in superb form as he pushes the hard bop mainstream forward. Duke Pearson, a skilled pianist, as well as one of the top arrangers of the 1960s, contributes five very fresh originals to the set. With the superb title cut, "So Sweet My Little Girl", and "Jano" being highlights, in addition to flute and alto solos contributed by Leo Wright and Joe Henderson on tenor sax, "Little Johnny C" is a masterful album by an artist at his creative peak. This is a set to be savored again and again. The Definitive Versions of Blue Note are on XRCD24... Listen & Compare! Plays on standard CD players.
