Trombonist Grachan Moncur III is one of the great unheralded jazz musicians and composers. Pushing the limits of hard bop, he's responsible for some of the most provocative compositions and adventurous solos during the '60s. While having only released a handful of LP's as a leader (including two for Blue Note Records), he has played on seminal albums by Jackie McLean on Blue Note (One Step Beyond, Destination Out!, 'Bout Soul), as well as several with Archie Shepp, among others, often contributing original songs.
I chose 10 of my favorite tracks featuring Moncur, most composed by him, released between 1963 and 1969, all on the Blue Note label except for "Spooks" from Marion Brown's Three for Shepp on Impulse! Records, and "When" from Moncur's New Africa on Actuel.
