Sonny Red - Out of the Blue (Blue Note)

Dues paying doesn’t always pay off. Altoist Junior Sylvester Kyner frustratingly found this out when his repeated efforts at attaining national notoriety were rebuffed by a string of mitigating circumstances. Market saturation for his instrument and a propensity for missed opportunities dogged his career. His moniker wasn’t much help either considering the number of others operating under similar cognomens. The resliency of his anonymity certainly wasn’t a result of the company he kept, as his sole Blue Note album substantiates. Pianist Wynton Kelly and bassist Sam Jones were first call sidemen. Drummer Roy Brooks was no shrinking violet either. All three readily abetted Red’s shot at the big time. He recognized the import of the opportunity too, diving into the seven tune studio program with confidence and creativity that suggested his scuffling streak might be near an end. Bird crops up as a chief influence in his agile phrasing along with Sonny Stitt and Lou Donaldson. The blues are at the top of the menu with several sharply rendered examples interspersed around a small handful of predictable standards. The 1996 Connoisseur reissue adds another five cuts with Red fronting the Miles Davis rhythm section, further proof of his ability to attract top tier talent. Sadly, security and success still proved elusive. Several dates for Savoy and Riverside bracketed his Blue Note carbuncle, but fall short of the modest magic captured here.