Unity (album)

Unity is an album by jazz organist Larry Young, released on the Blue Note label. While not free jazz, the album features innovative experimentation. The title was chosen by Young because "although everybody on the date was very much an individualist, they were all in the same frame of mood. It was evident from the start that everything was fitting together." The album was Young's second for Blue Note, following on from Into Somethin'.

Music
Three of the six tracks were composed by Woody Shaw. The first, "Zoltan", starts with part of a march from the Háry János suite of Zoltán Kodály and continues in the Lydian mode. The second, "The Moontrane", is dedicated to John Coltrane, "as can be heard in the harmonic cycles in it", explained Shaw. The third, "Beyond All Limits", has a difficult harmonic progression, but, in Shaw's words, "once the inherent difficulties of the tune are solved, there are no limits as to where you can go with it". "If" is a 12-bar Joe Henderson composition; "Monk's Dream" (played only by Young and drummer Elvin Jones) is by Thelonious Monk; and "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" is a Hammerstein & Romberg composition.

Drummer Elvin Jones played "a standard 4-piece drum kit with two cymbals and hi-hat".

Reception
Scott Yanow states that Unity "is considered Larry Young's finest recording". Billboard Magazine called the album "a sureshot for jazz fans". The Penguin Guide to Jazz awarded it a rare crown and four-star rating, describing it as "Quite simply a masterpiece." Also, saxophonist Michael Brecker referred to the album as a favourite of his.

The album's cover art, by Reid Miles, has also become well known. In 2008, graphic designer Mike Dempsey picked it as one of his favorite album covers, stating that it shows "Ultimate simplicity [...] Put in an album rack today it would still raise an eyebrow as it looks remarkably fresh".

Track listing

 * 1) "Zoltan" (Woody Shaw) - 7:41
 * 2) "Monk's Dream" (Thelonious Monk) - 5:48
 * 3) "If" (Joe Henderson) - 6:46
 * 4) "The Moontrane" (Shaw) - 7:21
 * 5) "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg) - 6:24
 * 6) "Beyond All Limits" (Shaw) - 6:02

Musicians

 * Larry Young – Hammond B-3 organ
 * Woody Shaw – trumpet
 * Joe Henderson – tenor saxophone
 * Elvin Jones – drums

Production

 * Alfred Lion – production
 * Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineering; CD remastering (1998)
 * Michael Cuscuna – reissue production
 * Reid Miles – cover design
 * Francis Wolff – photography
 * Nat Hentoff – liner notes
 * Bob Blumenthal – CD reissue liner notes (1999)

References in Popular Culture
In an episode of the fourth season of NBC's television show 30 Rock, which aired on March 11, 2010 and was entitled "Future Husband", the character Tracy Jordan, played by Tracy Morgan, wore a t-shirt that featured the cover design of Unity.