Album of the Moment

The Beacon and Celebrity Trio Recordings
Elmo Hope
Recorded in 1959 and 1961

Solid, swinging bop that is accessible but stands up to scrutiny. Hope reminds me a bit of Wynton Kelly with some of the angular, hard attack of Monk. It’s a mystery why Hope remains obscure while Kelly, Red Garland, and others have achieved some level of name recognition. The tracks here have good, if not great sound (I don’t own the Blue Note sessions which have other versions of these tracks so can’t comment on the relative sound quality).

Track Listing

1. Chips
2. Happy Hour (Delving)
3. Mo’s Bluff
4. Maybe So
5. Mo Is On
6. Crazy (the Race for Space)
7. Hot Sauce
8. When the Groove is Low
9. De-Dah
10. Abdula
11. Freffie
12. Stars Over Marakesh

Personnel

• Elmo Hope (piano)
• Paul Chambers (bass)
• Philly Joe Jones (drums)
• Edward Warren (bass, tracks 3-6)
• Granville Hogan (drums, tracks 3-6)

Links

• The Elmo Hope Discography
• The Legend of St. Elmo
• AllMusic Entry