Buck Clarke Quintet - COOL HANDS

[JSngry]

Heard a cut off of this the other day, and only got the name "Charles Hampton". Details of the album, and any info about the players would be much appreciated.

As always, thanks in advance!

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Charles Hampton (ww, p) Don McKenzie (vib) Fred Williams (b) Roscoe Hunter (d) Buck Clarke (cga, bgo)

Offbeat OL 30003 rec. December 2 & 3, 1959

Cool Hands

What Is This Thing Called Love

Second Wind

Mil-dy

Ed's Blues

X-A Dose

Lover Man

I'll Remember April

Floretta

Mike

[jazzbo]

Very cool lp. Dusty has often a sortof cheap Italian cd that does it justice (6 or 7 bucks when in stock).

[JSngry]

Thanks, as always.

Other than Clarke, none of those names are familiar. Anybody got any details?

(and yeah. I looked at da'bastids. DAMN them! )

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Lord shows no other appearances by Don McKenzie. Roscoe Hunter only on the next Buck Clarke album (Argo). Charles Hampton on that and one more Clarke (also Argo) then part of a Charlie Byrd record on Riverside.

Seems like these are DC cats - wonder if the Chicago location for the first Argo record is wrong. The second one does say DC.

Lord has Fred Williams lumped together with the guy who played with Lester Bowie and others - don't know if that's correct.

Fred Williams recorded in DC with Byron Morris and Gerald Wise in 1969. If he's the same guy, there are some big gaps - 1959, 1960, 1969, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1989, 1990. 10 sessions total.

Mike

[JSngry]

Again, thanks.

Bertrand (or any other D.C.-ers), do any of these names ring a bell?

[Peter A]

According to the liner notes of "The Buck Clarke Sound" (Argo LP 4021), Hampton was a "long time associate" to Clarke. He (Hampton) wrote four of the eight tracks and played flute, alto and piano. Also baritone and clarinet but not on this record.

Peter

Edited February 15, 2005 by Peter A

[bertrand]

There is a Charlie Hampton who plays piano around D.C. I think I've only seen him once, but I see his name listed a lot. He was an elderly gentleman.

I have met Fred Williams a couple of times. He is indeed D.C.-based. Although he has been around for a while (in his late sixties, perhaps?), I have only recently been aware of him. He told me he played in '68 or '69 at Bohemian Caverns with Woody Shaw, Buck Hill and Eric Gravatt. He is also on a recent locally-produced CD by vocalist George V. Johnson. I suspect it is later than 1990. Whether he is the same Fred Williams as the one listed in the Lord, I can't say.

Not familiar with the others.

Bertrand.

Edited February 15, 2005 by bertrand

[JSngry]

Thanks, Bertrand.

Given that this album is 45 years old, your description of these people as "elderly" today leads me to think that they are the same ones as on the album. If they have stories to tell, now might be the time to get them to do so...