Jones, Thad: Magnificent Thad (Blue Note Classic) LP

The Magnificent Thad Jones is widely regarded as the greatest small group recording of the trumpeter and composer’s career. Following his Blue Note debut Detroit – New York Junction in March 1956, Jones returned to the studio in July to record this supremely swinging date with Billy Mitchell on tenor saxophone, Barry Harris on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Max Roach on drums. The album opens with an iconic performance of “April In Paris,” a reprise of the famous version featuring Jones that the Count Basie Orchestra had cut the previous year, complete with the trumpeter’s sly “Pop Goes The Weasel” quote. Other highlights of the set include two Jones originals—the laid-back “Billie-Doo” and lightly swinging “Thedia”—as well as the stunning ballad “If Someone Had Told Me.”