Junior Cook - Somethin's Cookin' (Muse, 1982)

 This Post is by Dan

Junior Cook (ts); Cedar Walton (p); Buster Williams (b); Billy Higgins (d)

Recorded June 12, 1981

Junior Cook was the tenor player in Horace Silver's most effective quintet in the late 1950s and early 1960s, paired on the front line with trumpeter Blue Mitchell. Cook's solo career was less noteworthy, although it included some strong dates on Muse and the Danish SteepleChase label. 

Somethin's Cookin' is straightforward, like all of Cook's playing, but distinctive for its pared-down quartet format and the blue-ribbon rhythm section. Billy Higgins keeps things moving on the faster tunes, especially the opening "Fiesta Español." Equally important to the chemistry of the group is Buster Williams' rich bass fills and trademark bent notes, which work like glue to keep everything together. Of course, Cedar Walton's tasteful and swinging contributions are evident throughout. With a supporting cast like this one, the nominal leader doesn't stand a chance of getting lost and consequently plays some of his most intriguing and coherent solos on record.

Somethin's Cookin' was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in analogue and released on LP by Muse. The recording and production are first rate. For example, the cymbals driving "Fiesta Español" are rendered with ringing clarity. I hear practically no difference between the 1980s Muse analog recordings and the more celebrated Blue Notes of two decades earlier. If anything, the Muses present a more open stereo soundstage. 

Somethin's Cookin' was reissued in 1998 along with Good Cookin' on 32 Records' CD compilation, Senior Cookin'. Although the music is always more important than the format, the vinyl sounds much better. Both records are worth hearing, but Somethin's Cookin' is the favorite.