Liner Notes

After moving from Detroit to New York in 1957, Curtis Fuller quickly became omnipresent on Blue Note Records. The trombonist cut his first two leader dates that summer (The Opener and Bone & Bari ) and appeared as a sideman with John Coltrane ( Blue Train ), Lee Morgan ( City Lights ), Jimmy Smith ( House Party ), Bud Powell ( Bud! ), and others.

In December, he headed out to Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey to record Volume 3 (BLP 1583) with trumpeter Art Farmer , pianist Sonny Clark , bassist George Tucker , and drummer Louis Hayes . Highlights of this excellent set include the Fuller originals “Little Messenger,” inspired by the forceful sound of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, the Afro-Cuban gem “Quantrale,” and the cinematic epic “Carvon,” before the album closes with a tender version of the Lane-Lerner “It’s Too Late Now.”