AVID Jazz presents four classic Frank Wess albums including original LP liner notes on a finely re-mastered and low priced double CD.
“Opus In Swing”; “Wheelin’& Dealin’; “ “After Hours” and “Southern Comfort”
Our first selection “Opus In Swing” sees our featured artist, ex Count Basie saxophonist and flautist Frank Wess in a second outing (following “Opus de Jazz”) of what is described in the original liner notes as “a chamber jazz album of non raucous sounds that still have a “down” feel to them, with plenty of solo room for the featured instrumentalists!” With two guitarists including up and coming young star Kenny Burrell on solo guitar alongside Freddie Greene on rhythm guitar the album “thrills with anticipation and down performances”. For “Wheelin & Dealin’ ”Mal Waldron’s arrangements are executed by no less than three tenor saxophonists! Hawkins and Webster influenced Frank Wess leads off and also plays some fine flute solos, Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt influenced John Coltrane joins in behind Lester Young influenced Paul Quinichette! Completing the fine line up is Doug Watkins on bass and Arthur Taylor on drums. The opening paragraph from the original liner notes for “After Hours” neatly describes the mood of our next selection. “Essentially this is an album of moods…..blue ones for that period of the early morning known as “after hours”. Joining Wess playing both flute and sax are Thad Jones on trumpet, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Mal Waldron on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Arthur Taylor on drums. Here in these grooves you will find…..”blues both happy and sad…..fast blues, medium blues and two blues ballads”. Our final selection is “Southern Comfort” recorded in 1962 and featuring Frank Wess, again on flute and tenor sax, Oliver Nelson also tenor sax and arranger, Albert Aarons on trumpet, George Barrow on baritone sax, Tommy Flanagan on piano, George Duvivier on bass, Osie Johnson on drums and Ray Barretto on congo drum. Arranger Oliver Nelson states in the original liner notes that Frank Wess likes “uncluttered arrangements and a lots of melody” Like most sideman in big bands Wess had always been somewhat restricted in his musical role within the Count Basie band. Wess looked forward to stretching out by himself on his own solo album. As Nelson once again observes….”we especially made it possible for Frank Wess to show how well he can sustain long solos after all those nights of quick ones in the Basie Band”.
All four albums have been digitally re-mastered
CD1
1-5: ‘Opus In Swing’
1. Kansas City Side
2. Southern Exposure
3. Over The Rainbow
4. Wess Side
5. East Wind
6-9: ‘Wheelin & Dealin’
6. Things Aint What They Used To Be
7. Wheelin’
8. Robbins Nest
9. Dealin’
CD2
1-4: ‘After Hours’
1. Steamin’
2. Blue Jelly
3. Count One
4. Empty Street
5-11: ‘Southern Comfort’
5. Southern Comfort
6. Blue Skies
7. Gin’s Beguine
8. Blues For Butterball
9. Summer Frost
10. Dancing In The Dark
11. Shufflin’
