The Tadd Dameron Memorial Album

Also released under the more widely available Fontainebleau title, the Tadd Dameron Memorial Album is one of most original sets from the burgeoning hard bop days of the mid-'50s. Blessed with Dameron's complex yet seamlessly atmospheric charts, the five-track set features some of the pianist's most involved (the title track, "The Scene Is Clean") and swinging pieces ("Delirium," "Flossie Lou"). And helping out along the way, bop standouts like trumpeter Kenny Dorham, alto saxophonist Sahib Shihab, and drummer Shadow Wilson make choice contributions throughout. A must for any jazz collection.