There are many tragic figures in bebop history, but
Fats Navarro's story is even sadder than most. Considered by some to be a better trumpeter than
Dizzy Gillespie (
Lennie Tristano is reported to have said of
Gillespie, "He's a nice trumpet player, but he's no
Fats"),
Navarro was killed by his heroin addiction at age 26. This disc includes material from five sessions recorded between September of 1946 and December of 1947, when bop was at the height of its popularity and its most important and influential practitioners were still alive. Some of them, in addition to
Navarro, are present on these sessions:
Bud Powell plays piano on "Boppin' a Riff," "Fat Boy," "Everything's Cool," and his own "Webb City," tracks which also feature
Sonny Stitt on alto and
Kenny Clarke on drums. Other sessions feature
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis on tenor, frequent
Charlie Parker sideman
Curley Russell on bass,
Charlie Rouse on tenor, and
Art Blakey on drums. While the sound quality isn't always great, the performances themselves rarely fall short of greatness, and
Navarro's sweet tone and effortlessly beautiful phrasing are a constant pleasure throughout.