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Frank Wess


Hardbopjazz

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Never heard a bad note comin' out of his horns! One of the best!

All of his Savoy dates I have are very nice.

But on this one,

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there are three tenors, Gene Ammons, Frank Foster, and Wess, and he wins, to my ears!

The stuff I have heard from the 1980's and newer in smal grooup contexts is also very good.

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I like the albums by the New York Jazz Quartet, the post 1974 version with Wess, Roland Hanna, George Mraz, Ben Riley but not on all the albums. Albums [song of the Black Knight], [surge], [blues for Sarka] and [Oasis] that I know of.

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The latest batch of Fantasy reissues includes one from Wess. It's from their Moodsville series, but don't let that deter you. Some nice slow to mid-tempo tunes with Wess on both tenor and flute. I'm not much of a flute fan, but even those pieces work for me. Good stuff.

Up over and out.

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Agree with Dave on this. It's a very nice album. Nothing original I think is coming out but it's real solid stuff. Even those who aren't crazy about flute will enjoy this one.

He also just recently made an album with Jerry Dodgion that is quite impressive.

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I wouldn't call Frank Wess inactive. ^_^

He's also played on the following CDs that have been released over the last twelve months:

Flutology - First Date (Capri)

Butch Miles - Straight on Till Morning (Nagel Heyer)

Andy Bey - American Song (Savoy)

Joan Stiles - Love Call (Zoho)

Libby York - Sunday in New York (Blujazz)

Sarah Partridge - Blame It On My Youth (Nagel Heyer)

Grady Tate - All Love: Grady Tate Sings (441 Records)

And he's only 82!!

:)

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  • 2 years later...

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to see Frank Wess live back in October 2006. He was playing in a quartet with Michael Weiss on piano. The music was excellent. Both Wess and Weiss played at the top of their game. The creativity and swing were simply outstanding. It was some of the best live jazz I have heard in a long long time.

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For me as a teenager, that great Savoy album, OPUS DE JAZZ, with Frank Wess, Milt Jackson, Hank Jones, Eddie Jones, and Kenny Clarke (October 28, 1955) was a defining moment in my jazz education. It still is ... I have been through about five different formats of this session over the years, and it still ranks in my top ten. Since then I have tried to accumulate almost everything that Frank has done ... he never fails to please. His playing on the Bill Charlap Gershwin album is a wonder to listen to.

Frank's recent album with Hank Jones, HANK AND FRANK, (their combined age is over 170!) on the Lineage label is highly recommended. Click here: http://tinyurl.com/y4gvt3

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  • 1 month later...

He's in fine form playing flute on the recent (and excellent) Jon Faddis release-Teranga

"Teranga" is the Wolof word for welcome. It doesn't list personnel on CD Universe. Does the album include Senegalese musicians?

MG

Yes. here's an info link

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&a...10:wzfuxqrdld6e

Thanks very much Mr J

MG

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