RAY DRAPER QUINTET - The Ray Draper Quintet featuring John Coltrane (1958-1998) RM / APE (image+.cue), lossless

Ray Draper was only 17 when he led this date (all four of his sessions as a leader were made before he turned 20) and was brave (or foolhardy) enough to team up with tenor saxophonist John Coltrane (who was 14 years older and already a major name) in a quintet also including pianist Gil Coggins, bassist Spanky DeBrest, and drummer Larry Ritchie. Draper had ambitious dreams of making the tuba a major jazz solo instrument; the tuba/tenor front line is an unusual and generally successful sound, although Draper's solos -- on three of his originals: Sonny Rollins' "Paul's Pal," the show tune "Under Paris Skies," and a tuba feature without Coltrane, "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" -- are clearly not on the same level as those of Coltrane or Coggin. One does admire Draper's courage, and it is a pity that he hardly recorded at all after 1960, because he showed strong potential. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Clifford's Kappa 9:16
Ray Draper
2 Filidia 7:16
Ray Draper

3 Two Sons 5:24

Ray Draper
4 Paul's Pal 7:14
Sonny Rollins
5 Under Paris Skies 7:47
Hubert Giraud
6 I Hadn't Anyone till You 3:05
Ray Noble
Credits:

Bass – Spanky De Brest

Drums – Larry Ritchie
Engineer [Recording] – Rudy Van Gelder
Piano – Gil Coggins
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane (tracks: 1 to 5)
Tuba – Ray Draper