In 1960, Paul Serrano was a young trumpet player from Chicago, with a considerable and varied experience as a sideman, mainly in his hometown jazz scene. Cannonball Adderley heard him there with this group of promising jazz musicians, and decided to record him.

The result was the album, “Blues Holiday,” on which Serrano’s quintet displays a driving, penetrating attack that was carried partly by the leader’s flaring, brassy trumpet, and partly by Bunky Green’s hard, lean, multitoned alto saxophone, that reflected the band’s strength and potential. The rhythm section is tight and ideal, with fine solos by Jodie Christian and further bolstered by Pete LaRoca, who filled in when the quintet’s regular drummer was unavailable for the date.

The other album included here finds a younger Serrano when he was member of another outstanding Chicago quintet, MJT + 3; the name stands for Modern Jazz Two, and refers to bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Walter Perkins, the co-leaders, while the three are Serrano, tenor Nicky Hill, and pianist Richard Abrams. It was a strong, empathetic group and makes a fitting addition to this homage to Paul Serrano, an unsung hardbop trumpeter.


Tracklisting:

01. Me, Too (Serrano) 6:28
02. Dream of Igor (Abrams) 8:13
03. Blues Holiday (Christian) 4:53
04. Little Niles (Weston) 4:02
05. Mr. Lucky (Mancini) 5:52
06. Everything’s Coming Up Roses
(Sondheim-Styne) 8:12
07. Ray’s Idea (Brown-Gillespie) 3:42
08. My One and Only Love (Wood-Mellin) 4:07
09. End of the Line (Abrams) 3:32
10. They Can’t Take That Away From Me (Gershwin) 4:28
11. Egypic (Abrams) 3:39
12. No Name (Abrams) 2:47
13. Temporarily Out of Order (Abrams) 5:19
14. Little Brother (Abrams) 5:06
15. No Man’s Land (Abrams) 2:47

Total time: 73:00 aprox.


Original sources:

Tracks #1-6 from the original Riverside album
"Blues Holiday" (RLP 9359).

Tracks #7-15 from the original Argo album
"Daddy-O Presents MJT+3" (LP 9012).



Personnel on "Blues Holiday" (#1-6):

Paul Serrano (tp), Bunky Green (as), Jodie Christian (p), Don Garrett (b), and Pete LaRoca (d).

Recorded at Universal Recording Studios, Chicago, on November 8, 1960.



Personnel on "Daddy-O Presents MJT+3" (#7-15):

Paul Serrano (tp), Nicky Hill (ts), Richard Abrams (p), Bob Cranshaw (b), and Walter Perkins (d).

Recorded in Chicago, 1957.



Original recordings produced by Julia "Cannonball" Adderley (#1-6) and supervised by Homes "Daddy-O" Daylie (#7-15).

Argo album cover design: LeRoy Winbush
Photos: Lacey Crawford, Ronald Howard

Compiled for CD release: Jordi Pujol


Stereo / Mono 24-Bit Digitally Remastered