Billboard : 02/23/1957
Score of 76

Bill Hardman, a talented trumpet man who has been with Jackie McLean both in the Charlie Mingus Workshop group and in the “Messengers,” gets his first major disk exposure here. He and altoist McLean complement each other very well in their touch “hard bop” approach. Hardman is still not McLean’s equal technically but he maneuvers fast long-lined passages with great skill. Both horns show a lot of good thinking and an occasional burst of virtuosic fireworks that is quite thrilling. Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones and Mal Waldron make up an exceptionally strong rhythm section. Grist for the “far-out” modernists’ mill.

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Pittsburgh Courier : 06/22/1957
Harold L. Keith : 4 stars

Bill Hardman is 24 years of age and brother to the current crop of fine young musicians who are serious “threats” to certain well-established studs on the jazz circuit. Bill features a syncopated style on his trumpet and on his Prestige debut displays a cleverly executed attack. As usual, Paul Chambers is simply “vonce” withi his bowing and Hardman’s support is A-1 as he is supported by Jack McLean on alto; Philly Joe Jones on drums, and Mal Waldron on piano. Hardman is currently blowing with the Art Blakey outfit which also features McLean and tenor saxman John Griffin of Chicago.

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San Francisco Chronicle
Ralph J. Gleason : 03/31/1957

A fine free-blowing session which offers some good solos by McLean on alto and Bill Hardman (Jackie’s pal) on trumpet against the swinging rhythm section.

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The Virginian-Pilot
Robert C. Smith : 04/07/1957

The debut of trumpeter Bill Hardman, 25, on Prestige’s Jackie’s Pal is harder to evaluate. Hardman has a style that reminds of Art Farmer from Miles, but his work is too derivative here and he tends to blow too many notes. He sounds best on bluesy numbers such as Sublus. Jackie is Jackie McLean, who is a month younger than Hardman but better known. His work on alto here is more developed. Chambers and Jones return with pianist Mal Waldron.

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Down Beat Review : 03/04/1957
Nat Hentoff : 4 stars

McLean and Cleveland trumpeter Hardman were colleagues for a time in the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop, and most recently, they’ve been part of Art Blakey‘s Jazz Messengers. McLean continues to grow in assurances, and consequently, in impact. He is also gradually arriving at his own style, however firmly based on Bird.

Hardman who was quite impressive with Mingus at Newport, is a punching, many-noted modernist with a musical temperament somewhat akin to that of Clifford Brown, although he doesn’t yet have the almost constantly flaming exaltation Brownie achieved. Hardman, when he breaks into his own voice, could become an important hornman. He is already often exciting as is.

The rhythm section is strong. Paul Chambers solos with with impressive force; Mal Waldron is, as usual, intelligently and leanly provocative in his statements.

The programming here saves the one ballad, a Hardman solo, for the end, a minor error, I think. There is a lot of hardness in the horns that a second soft track placed midway through the LP might have better balanced.

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Liner Notes by Ira Gitler

In any field of endeavor, friendships between the men who work together usually aid greatly the carrying out of the job to a successful end. In an area like jazz where empathy between performers is such a vital element, the associations which grow into friendships produce some of the warmest, moving music. Of course, the musicians must meet on two levels – their musical thinking and their personalities. The former is always expressive of the latter and usually is the basis on which the association is built but we have also had combinations where merit was present and never developed too far because personality differences separated the musicians after a short time.

In the big bands and small groups you will always find certain people who gravitate to each other. Sometimes these “running mates“ only last as long as the life of the particular band but many lengthen into long musical partnerships.

Since you’ve seen the cover photo and the heading above these notes, it is no secret to you that Jackie is Jackie McLean and that Jack’s pal is Bill Hardman. Bill was born in Cleveland, Ohio on April 6, 1932. Cleveland has never been a particularly productive town for jazz and jazzmen (Tadd Dameron is one of the few) but perhaps Bill will start a trend. In every city in the United States there are young musicians who are interested in playing jazz, many are very good but never get out of the local areas for various reasons. There were some of these jazz-minded youngsters in the band at Central High in Cleveland for their enthusiasm stimulated the diminutive trumpeter’s interest and started him on his career.

Benny Bailey, familiar to some of you through his work with Lionel Hampton in the mid-Forties, was playing in Cleveland in the late Forties and was Bill’s first influence. Later, Miles Davis and Clifford Brown further shaped the style of Hardman.

In 1953, Bill worked his first name engagement with Tiny Bradshaw‘s orchestra and remained until 1955. Then in 1956 he joined Charlie Mingus‘ Jazz Workshop and the jazz public at large heard him at the Newport Jazz Festival where he drew much favourable comment. It was shortly after this that Jackie rejoined Mingus and the McLean-Hardman friendship started. Playing side by side they developed a mutual admiration society and in August when they left the Mingus group, they stayed together to join Art Blakey in the Messengers. It was in the period between groups that this session was taped.

Although you now know more about Jackie’s pal, some of you may not yet be familiar with Jackie. John Lenwood McLean is his formal moniker but he is always called Jackie. A month younger than Hardman although more of a jazz veteran, he was born and raised in New York. His father, John Sr., who died in 1939, played guitar with Tiny Bradshaw. It is no wonder that Jackie has developed into one of our finest young altomen. Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins have been his models and it was Bud Powell who fostered his career by teaching him chord changes and the valuable lesson of “time”. Prior to Mingus and Blakey, Jackie appeared with the combos of Paul Bley and George Wallington. His steady advance toward a personal expression and a new maturity is evident in following his recorded career on Esquire (see bottom of notes). His inner power, lucidity and tough sweetness stand out in relief in this set.

The pianist on the date is yet another pal who played in the Mingus group and also had recorded with Jackie. Malcolm Earl Waldron was born in New York City in August of 1926. Mal started on the alto sax. His musical studies include composition with Karol Rathaus after which he composed modern ballet scores for the Henry St. Settlement House. He also holds a B.A. from Queens College. Band credits include Ike Quebec, Big Nick Nicholas, Lucky Thompson and Lucky Millinder but he was most prominently known during his tenure with Mingus.

The well fused, deeply pulsating rhythm duo of Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones is well known to jazz listeners for their power propulsion of the Miles Davis quintet. Chambers plays some wonderful solos, both plucked and bowed, and Rudy Van Gelder has done an excellent job of recording his beautiful articulation.

The composers represented here come from the group itself for the most part.

Jackie’s Sweet Doll is a punching, minor theme with solos by himself Bill, Mal and Paul (bowed).

Just For Marty by Bill is a happy line with use of rhythmic suspension and release. Jackie, Bill and Mal solo and the two hornmen trade with Joe at the end.

Mal‘s Dee‘s Dilemma has a minor modulating into major and back into minor pattern which suggests a dilemma effectively. Solos by Jackie, Bill, Mal and Paul (plucked).

It Could Happen To You is the only standard on the date and is Bill’s solo vehicle. Mal and Paul contribute sensitive solos between Bill’s opening and close. Paul’s plucked offering is especially noteworthy.

Sublues is a puckish blues by Bill with solos by all (Paul bows) including a telling one from Philly Joe which leads back into the theme.

Charlie Parker is represented by Steeplechase, one of the many of Bird’s tunes which have been perpetuated by recordings. Solos are by Jackie, Bill, Mal and Paul (bowed). Then Jackie and Bill trade fours for two choruses before the final theme wherein Joe solos the bridge.