1 Ping Pong
2 Roots And Herbs
3 The Back Sliders
4 United
5 Look At The Birdie
6 Master Mind
Another superb choice for Blue Note’s Tone Poet Series, which brings back classic jazz albums in remastered 180-gram vinyl form in deluxe gatefold packaging. In February and May of 1961, this group (with pianist Walter Davis Jr. sitting in on two tracks) entered Rudy Van Gelder's studio in New Jersey and proceeded to lay down Roots & Herbs, a brilliant set of six Shorter compositions including the driving hard bop of the title track, the playful "Ping Pong," and the clever "United." The album was eventually released in 1970 and deserves a place among Blakey's finest recordings.
