Sahib's Jazz Party & After Hours took place at the Cafe Montmartre in Copenhagen way back in 1963 shortly after Sahib Shihab had moved to the jazz mad city. He was joined at this party by Ole Molin, Alex Riel, Allan Botchinsky and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen. The first disc of this gatefold sleeved double album re-issue is the classic Party and the second bonus disc contains the three Afterhours bonus tunes.
Sahib was best known for playing in the bands of Fletcher Henderson, Thelonius Monk, Art Blakey and Kenny Dorham along with a partnership with Art Farmer. He had converted to be part of the Ahmaddiya Muslim community in 1947 when he changed his name from Edmund Gregory to Sahib Shihab.
The A-Side opens with 4070 Blues laid-back smooth grooving jazz Blues, with a central flute part, cool bass, snare and cymbal shuffling drums, that slowly pick up pace, getting quite wild in places, with Ole Molin giving his best Wes Montgomery style guitar solo.
Charade has a very laid-back intro by Sahib explaining this was a tune he first played with Kenny Dorham, while the audience chatter away, before this rather arabesque tune slithers over the dancefloor, with Alex Riel almost playing a samba rhythm.
The B-side is Conversations parts 1, 2 and 3 with Sahib blowing some cool breeze sax on the opening to part 1, before the tune really gets going and sounds like it could be chase music for a film, Niels bass is super fluid, with Allan's Flugelhorn driving things on. Part 2 is more of a lower sadder part of the conversation; They get a bit maudlin. Then in the third and concluding part suddenly they are bright and upbeat, ready to get down and have a ball together, this really swings. They go at it ten to the dozen all round that never ending chat, how to weave that magic between the players. They seem to come to some magical agreement at the end of the tune.
The C Side is the start of the After Party thrown by Billy Boy time for the odd hand clap, flugel horn helps light up Billy Boy's life, drums are jumping, all hopped up, like they are close friends with Billy Whizz, sudden riffing runs of sinuous guitar gets everyone moving and grooving, hep cats holler, while busting moves in clouds of Christiania's finest to that wild wild horn.
The D-side opens with the super cool jazz vibes of Not Yet, its still about to happen, you know that thing that only the most sophisticated cats get to find out about, those late-night honking solicitations, for things still to happen, you may find yourself snapping your fingers, grooving along with them. The smoke got to them, they slow right down for Niels snail paced strutting solo, slow building marching vibe angularity of deep inhalation.
The album finished with Some Day My Prince Will Come played super late night smoky sophisticated, an odd, smashed patron can no longer help themselves from babbling in the background, the dream of that Prince sweeping you off your feet is kept alive.
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