Seven Steps To Heaven

Recording sessions occurred on both coasts during 1963. This period signifies a shift as the trumpeter moved away from prior modal exploration toward the intense drive of his second great quintet. New members Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams appear here, actively steering the arrangements toward a more pointed direction.

These performances function as a link between the refined cool jazz of the previous decade and the nervous, inventive mood that characterized the middle sixties. The studio engineering maintains a crisp, traditional warmth. This approach allows the delicate interplay occurring between the rhythm section and the lead horn to remain audible throughout each composition.