Sweet Honey Bee is an album by the American jazz pianist and composer Duke Pearson

Duke Pearson

Duke Pearson was an American jazz pianist and composer. Allmusic notes him as being a "big part in shaping the Blue Note label's hard bop direction in the 1960s as a producer."-History:...

, that was released on the Blue Note

Blue Note Records

Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...

 label in 1967.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awards this album with 4 stars and states: "Pianist/composer Duke Pearson leads an all-star group on this run-through of seven of his compositions. The musicians (trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, altoist James Spaulding, Joe Henderson on tenor, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Mickey Roker, and the pianist/leader) are actually more impressive than many of the compositions, although the swinging minor-toned "Big Bertha" deserved to become a standard."

Track listing

1. "Sweet Honey Bee" – 4:57
2. "Sudel" – 5:40
3. "After the Rain" – 4:44
4. "Gaslight" – 5:59
5. "Big Bertha" (Peter Chatman, Pearson) – 5:57
6. "Empathy" – 5:59
7. "Ready Rudy?" – 5:58

All compositions by Duke Pearson except where indicated

Personnel

• Duke Pearson
  Duke Pearson
  Duke Pearson was an American jazz pianist and composer. Allmusic notes him as being a "big part in shaping the Blue Note label's hard bop direction in the 1960s as a producer."-History:...
  
   - piano
• Joe Henderson
  Joe Henderson
  Joe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than forty years Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note.-Early life:From a very large family with five sisters and nine...
  
   - tenor saxophone
• Freddie Hubbard
  Freddie Hubbard
  Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
  
   - trumpet
• James Spaulding - flute, alto saxophone
• Ron Carter
  Ron Carter
  Ron Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
  
   - bass
• Mickey Roker
  Mickey Roker
  Granville "Mickey" Roker is an American jazz drummer. Roker was born into extreme poverty in Miami to Granville and Willie Mae Roker...
  
  - drums