darkprinceofjazz Duke Pearson is one of the most underrated of all the pianists of Blue Note records, Influenced by Horace Silver and Bud Powell to lesser degree, Duke's Genius lies within his arranging abilities, and Introducing Duke Pearson's Big Band is Proof of that, in particular, Duke has a knack for subtle reworkings of standards, "Taste of Honey" is perfect example, with a tasty flute solo, and a surprise ending, The album kicks off with "Ground Hog" a playful funky number that has a contemporary feel, followed by "New Girl" with it's classic swinging theme, with a nice modal groove to solo off of, reminds me a bit of a Miles Davis style tune, "Miles Stones" comes to mind, I can't say enough about the album, and Pearson in general, I love the use of the flute in many of his albums, "Bedouin" and "Taste of Honey" get the treatment here, The former has a real Caravanesque exotic vibe, Other albums I highly recommend are, Sweet Honey Bee, Wahoo, and The Right Touch, all Blue Notes, and in My opinion, as good as anything put out on the label in the mid 60's.

You can also check Duke's Piano playing out on other sessions, Grant Green's Idle Moments, Johnny Coles's Little Johnny C, and Bobby Hutcherson's The Kicker, Duke was basically the house arranger for Blue Note throughout the 60's after the death of Ike Quebec, And Duke is a big part of the Blue Note legacy, Introducing Duke Pearson's Big Band is a nice place to start that investigation.