Blue Mitchell was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He began playing trumpet in high school, where he acquired his nickname, Blue. After high school he played in the rhythm and blues ensembles of Paul Williams, Earl Bostic, and Chuck Willis. After returning to Miami he was noticed by Cannonball Adderley, with whom he recorded for Riverside Records in New York in 1958. He then joined the Horace Silver Quintet, playing with tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor and drummer Roy Brooks. Mitchell stayed with Silver's group until the band's break-up in 1964, after which he formed a group with members from the Silver quintet, substituting the young pianist Chick Corea for Silver and replacing Brooks, who had fallen ill, with drummer Al Foster. - All Music Guide
Tracks
01. Fungii Mama (Blue Mitchell)
02. Mon's Mood (Jimmy Heath)
03. The Thing To Do (Jimmy Heath)
04. Step Lightly (Joe Henderson)
05. Chick's Tune (Chick Corea)
BLUE MITCHELL trumpet
JUNIOR COOK tenor sax
CHICK COREA piano
GENE TAYLOR bass
ALOYSIUS FOSTER drums
Recorded July 30, 1964 at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Blue Note - BST 84178