Who are these guys? That’s the usual reaction of anyone fortunate enough to have come across this remarkable (and remarkably rare) session from 1963. The last of six albums saxophonist Curtis Amy recorded for Pacific Jazz in the early-1960s, Katanga! transcends not only the rest but plenty of other recorded jazz from that period as well. Trumpeter Dupree Bolton’s brilliant playing here is simply breath-taking in one of his very few recorded appearances during a career plagued with personal problems. Bolton and Amy are joined by guitarist Ray Crawford, pianist Jack Wilson, bassist Victor Gaskin, and drummer Doug Sides on this gem of an album. Katanga!, a rare gem from the Pacific Jazz catalogue. The Blue Note Tone Poet edition of Katanga! includes a new essay by Thomas Conrad that elucidates the story behind the album.