The Brothers! is a three-tenor summit cut for RCA Victor in 1955, pairing Al Cohn (East Coast bop) with Bill Perkins and Richie Kamuca (both fresh out of the Stan Kenton horn section and firmly in the cool-jazz West Coast tradition). The record was recorded at Webster Hall in New York on June 24 and 25, 1955 and released that same year with the catalog number LPM-1162. The title winks at Jimmy Giuffre's Four Brothers arrangement for Woody Herman — both Cohn and Perkins were Herman alumni.
The rhythm section is a murderers' row of New York first-callers: Hank Jones on piano, Barry Galbraith and Jimmy Raney sharing guitar duties, John Beal on bass, and Chuck Flores on drums. It's a swinging, conversational three-tenor date that became one of the template records for that kind of lineup.
Cool stuff:
- Three-tenor blowing session Cohn, Perkins, and Kamuca trade, stack, and weave on every track. Nobody sits out for long.
- Webster Hall, 1955 Cut over two June days at the legendary NYC ballroom, with engineers capturing all three horns in gorgeous mono detail.
- Hank Jones on piano The rhythm section alone is a jazz argument, anchored by Jones at his most unflappable.
- Four Brothers DNA The title tips its hat to Jimmy Giuffre's famous Woody Herman chart. Cohn and Perkins had both been Herman sidemen.
Spin it for: easygoing mid-'50s tenor-battle jazz, three distinct saxophone voices in one room, and a masterclass from Hank Jones behind them.
Standouts: "Sioux Zan" · "Rolling Stone" · "Blue Serge" · "Cap Snapper"
Sources: Wikipedia — The Brothers! · AllMusic review · Discogs original pressing · Fresh Sound Records — Complete Sessions