Billboard : 02/16/1957
Score of 75

With the exception of Kenny Clarke, the quintet on this date have a Detroit origin in common. Most have come on the modern jazz scene but recently, yet are going up the rungs with speed. Adams‘ baritone is the only horn on the date, so a lot of this LP’s interest derives from his Mulliganesque blowing. Most of the selections are medium tempo bounces, and on the relaxed side. An excellent demo band would be Cottontail both for an Adams solo with real bite and for the superb bowed solo by Chambers.

—–

Kansas City Call
Albert Anderson : 02/22/1957

Guitarist Kenny Burrell teamed up with a progressive combo in a date called Jazz Men: Detroit, for Savoy on the LP kick. Most of the combo are recent on the jazz scene with the possible exception of drummer Kenny Clarke. But the team came up with a neat and bouncy tempo side and a relaxed side. Bassist Paul Chambers bows superbly on the track.

—–

Down Beat : 01/09/1957
Nat Hentoff : 4 stars

The only ringer in Jazzmen: Detroit is the invaluable Kenny Clarke. The others are all indices of how productive a spawning ground Detroit has become for modern jazz: guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist Tommy Flanagan (now with J.J. Johnson), baritone saxist Pepper Adams (with Stan Kenton), and bassist Paul Chambers. Their blowing here – as in the Desmond-Elliott LP reviewed elsewhere in this issue – is primarily of a low-flame, conversational kind. They fuse and pulse well together with the rhythm section a finely knit, flowing texture of full-sounding but not overbearing momentum.

Flanagan solos with customary unhurried, functional taste and sensitive touch; Chambers with his large-boned sound, continues to be an impressive soloist, and Burrell, as has been cited here before, is one of the most important young guitarists. Adams indicates he may well be the best relatively new baritone saxist since Jack Nimitz began to be heard with The Orchestra in Washington.

The only weakness in the set is that the ensemble figures are quite thin in imaginative interest. Admittedly, they’re meant mainly as introductions and signposts to blowing, but they still could have been constructed more daringly or at least more freshly. But this is certainly a worthwhile LP to warm yourself by, and is recommended.

—–

Liner Notes by H. Alan Stein

Thanks to a recent Metronome magazine article by Bob English, jazz fans are coming to realize the value of the city of Detroit and environs as a spawning ground for much that is good and young and fresh in modern jazz today. With local activities there centering around the informal New Music Society, the city has been “cooking” and sending out single stars to spread the local gospel! Stemming from the club’s activities and the underground word that spread into New York through the traveling bands and the glimpses of local Detroiters in New York groups… the idea for this date was born. Some of the men are new names to you… some have all ready stamped themselves into the jazz public’s consciousness by performances with top name groups… some are garnering attention today in the top combos. All are from Detroit, with the exception of veteran drum star Kenny “Klook” Clarke.

(Author’s note: It has been brought to my attention that Klook qualified only by presenting affidavits to Ozzie Cadena proving that the number of times he has played in or thru Detroit during his varied career at least equaled the average age of each of these new stars!) To quickly capsule the players in current order: Kenny Burrell, currently with Hampton Hawes, first came into recording light as start on the No ‘Count and North South East Wess albums with the Basie-men for Savoy when he supplanted the piano sound with his quiet, effective comping and solo-work. Pepper Adams is currently on tour with Stan Kenton‘s swing band. Tommy Flanagan is a star with the Miles Davis group and has previously appeared on the Donald Byrd LPs for Savoy. New praises are difficult for the ever-swingin’ Kenny Clarke, whose guiding beat has lifted many a session from me “good” to greatness! Highpointing the enclosed album… the overall gentle swinging is the keynote. Mainly emphasized by Burrell’s unamplified-sounding comping chords, it is heightened by Klook’s subuded swinging and the deep resonance that Paul Chambers delivers. The majority of the tunes are medium bounce tempos, and the lines are spare, (in usual Savoy tradition), to allow plenty of romping room for the individual soloists. Everybody blows! A detailed analysis is unimportant, since the listener can readily distinguish instruments and follow the lines. Suffice it to point up a few highpoints for this listener: the almost Mulliganesque quality that Adams gets in Your Houst! Paul Chambers’ highly inventive solo-work and bouncing rhythm line. Listen especially to the ensemble chorus bass-work on Tom Thumb and to his clean bowed solo on Cottontail. Here is truly a star of great stature yet of remarkably few years. Pepper Adams’ boppish talk is excellent throughout, and really biting on the traded 4’s on Cottontail. Burrell sounds like he’s doing a multi-taped solo on the opening chorus of Afternoon altho’ it’s not! Flanagan swings lightly in single-noted style throughout. Reminiscent of Hank Jones in approach, and taste, he comps and solos in top form. Kenny plays solos only on 2 tunes… 4’s on Cottontail and an extended stick solo on the blues Thumb.