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Harold Vick


Soul Stream

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I'm a big Harold Vick fan. He had a certain "whine" that I can always fingerprint him by after just a few bars. I don't really know a whole lot about him. He was a close associate of John Patton's. But other than that, I'm not real hip to any later stuff he did after his Blue Note appearances.

Don't hear much talk about Vick these days. Wondered if anybody had any other thoughts on this lost tenor.

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If you're looking for more Vick, I'd seek out this tasty little session:

f50034woek6.jpg

Woody Shaw is also a sideman on this date.

Vick played with Shaw again on "Cassandranite."

Vick plays on the track 'Medina' on the Cassandranite CD, which is a bonus track actually taken from Joe Chamber's 'The Almoravid' session. The quintet tracks on 'Cassandranite' all have Joe Henderson on tenor.

'Coral Keys' is indeed a tasty session - great recommendation. The general feel reminds me quite a bit of 'Almoravid', absolutely not a blowing session. Vick is quite adventurous and moody, with Shaw featuring strongly on half of the session. Bonus also of Idris Muhammed on drums. Recommended !

Edited by sidewinder
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Soul Stream, I assume you have Shirley Scott's "One For Me" on Strata East with Harold and Billy Higgins and Shirley's wonderful tune "What Makes Harold Sing?" I LOVE that record.

YES!!! That is a great record. Haven't pulled it out in a while and will today!!!

Also, thanks for all the great advice on the other Vick sessions.

Still think "Steppin' Out" is one of the all-time best.

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Yeah, that Scott side is special.

Vick's RCA sides are interesting, kinda commercial in a way, but he still comes through as Vick, and that's always a good thing. His tone, his inflections, and way of "sighing" across the beat have always appealed to me, very personal, very natural, and very soulful.

I got a LP thing on TK he did called AFTER THE DANCE that I haven't checked out yet. I looks to be a very commercial, 70s disco type thing. But I took a chance on it jsut because I figured that Harold Vick had the kind of natural, organic even, approach to music that could make something like that work in a way that most players couldn't. Maybe it sucks, but for 5 or 6 bucks, I'm willing to find out. Not too many players I can say that about.

I'm also curious about Vick's career. Seems like he stayed on the scene, even though his "profile" was pretty damn low. He was in with the Strata-East crowd, and he played some BEAUTIFUL stuff on Bill Lee's soundtrack to SCHOOL DAZE (his last recording, I think I've heard). I'm just wondering if he taught, worked pits, had a house gig, or just exactly waht he did to steady stay around without a contract and high exposure. I'm under the impresion that he worked steadily in music, and that's not as common among players of this level of exposure as you might think. Anybody got details?

Whatever. Harold Vick had a vibe of his own, and that's really all I ask of any player. Above and beyond that is icing on the cake, and not everybody can (or wants to) go there. You get that personal thing happening, though, and you're over the hump as far as I'm concerned.

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I know he's on a lot of Jack McDuff sessions and a Duke Pearson session, Prairie Dog, that somehow I've never pulled the trigger on. Any views on those. I just have his BN session, plus what he did with John Patton.

I like "Prarie Dog."

Vick can also be found on Grant Green's "His Majesty King Funk." He acquits himself very nicely on the first track. Forgot the thame of it--"Marching to Selma?"

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I know he's on a lot of Jack McDuff sessions and a Duke Pearson session, Prairie Dog, that somehow I've never pulled the trigger on.  Any views on those.

I can recommend the sides collected on this CD:

c478097s51b.jpg

Includes a version of "Our Miss Brooks", which BN listeners should remember from STEPPIN' OUT...

Edited by Joe
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  • 5 years later...

I've posted this separately but I hope the board doesn't mind a double-up, as I thought you Vick fans may know :

I just bought "Commitment", released in 1974 on Muse.

Great record! The album contains no recording dates, but I have read in various places that it wa recorded in 1966, and in some places is nominated to have been "released " in 1966. The liner notes provide no helpful information about this.

I was wondering if anyone knew :

- If it was released on another label in 1966

or, if not :

- Why it was held back for 7 years, and who it was recorded "for" originally.

Further to this, does anyone know of any comprehensive sideman discographies for any of the players that might answer my questions ?

Obviously I've checked AMG but it's little help ...

Walter Bishop Jr - piano

Victor Feldman - vibes, piano

Malcolm Reddick - guitar

Ben Tucker - Bass

Mickey Roker - drums

Herb Bushler - bass

Thanks for any info!

Simon

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