25 replies to this topic

[Bol]

I've been listening to a lot of George Wallington lately. It seems most of his 1950's sessions are available on CD except for this Verve recording, which is partly a piano trio session and partly a strings session. Am wondering whether I should try to find a vinyl copy, which doesn't appear very common and maybe hard to track down. For those of you who have/know it, how is it? Thanks in advance.

[Pete C]

I'm not familiar with that album, but do you know his late solo sessions? Amazing playing, a sort of baroque approach to bebop, and lots of newer original compositions.

[jazzbo]

Looks as if the Verve lp combined two Norgran 10"s, one trio, one with strings. I haven't heard them but the tracks from the trio Norgran were incorporated into a two cd set from Fresh Sounds in 2010:

The Fresh Sound:

The Norgran:

Attached Thumbnails

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Edited by jazzbo, 18 June 2012 - 03:51 PM.

[Larry Kart]

I'm not familiar with that album, but do you know his late solo sessions? Amazing playing, a sort of baroque approach to bebop, and lots of newer original compositions.

Great stuff.

[Pete C]

I used to live around the corner from Figlia air conditioning on Avenue A.

[Big Beat Steve]

I've been listening to a lot of George Wallington lately. It seems most of his 1950's sessions are available on CD except for this Verve recording, which is partly a piano trio session and partly a strings session. Am wondering whether I should try to find a vinyl copy, which doesn't appear very common and maybe hard to track down. For those of you who have/know it, how is it? Thanks in advance.

Am just listening to it right now (via a CD-R - as it is relatively hard to find indeed - so I cannot give you a pointer as to an accessible CD source ). I consider myself a fan (sort of ...) of those white 1st generation bop pianists (Wallington, Marmarosa, Haig etc) and while I have almost all 40s/50s Wallington recordings I find this fairly non-essential. It is a nice record to study for those who are very much into pianistics and you cannot say it's saccharine but yet it appears fairly subdued to me ... about 9 or 10 of the 12 tracks (all featuring strings) are rather balladesque. OTOH I've never been a huge fan of string backgrunds in bop.
In short, it all depends on whether you value piano chops above all and on the degree to which you are willing to listen to not very jazzy string backgrounds.

[Chuck Nessa]

This is not a string section as such - all solo voices.
Joseph Livoisi - violin
David Uchitel - viola
William Eder - cello
Clyde Lombardi - bass

[Bol]

Thanks folks -- for many pointers. Maybe I should look into those more recent recordings.

And thanks, Lon, for the Fresh Sound recommendation. But that one seems to have only the piano trio session, and not the strings session. (Hope you are doing well in Austin, which I miss very much!)

I guess I will pick this up if an opportunity presents itself. I did see a copy in an Austin used record store once, but I passed on it because it was pretty scratched up.

[jazzbo]

Right, it just has the trio session. That would be the one I'm most interested in. I have all the other material on that set though.

I'm doing okay K, been better, been worse.

[JSngry]

Whatever happened to Clyde Lombardi? Network gig?

[Chuck Nessa]

Don't know about Clyde. He didn't move to Green Bay did he?

Here is the original cover of the recording in question:

[Larry Kart]

Whatever happened to Clyde Lombardi? Network gig?

So it would seem:

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/clyde-lombardi-mn0000224539

[JSngry]

I wonder if he hung out with Ed Murrow?

[Chuck Nessa]

Not sure anyone "hung out" with Murrow.

[JSngry]

I bet him and Rod Serling got together and watched cheap porn while chain-smoking and drinking.

Just a hunch.

[AllenLowe]

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this story here - but Al Haig spent a lot of time around 37th street (or somewhere around there) where he walked the dog for his former landlady. Wallington lived on the same street. Al told me, maybe in 1978, "hey I saw George Wallington the other day, he walked right by me." I was in awe of this encounter - think of it, two of the great mysterious piano-playing figures of the bebop era, running into each other.

I asked, "what did you talk about?"

"He said, 'hi Al.' I said, "hello George."

That was it.

ahh, real life....

Edited by AllenLowe, 18 June 2012 - 08:11 PM.

[Bol]

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this story here - but Al Haig spent a lot of time around 37th street (or somewhere around there) where he walked the dog for his former landlady. Wallington lived on the same street. Al told me, maybe in 1978, "hey I saw George Wallington the other day, he walked right by me." I was in awe of this encounter - think of it, two of the great mysterious piano-playing figures of the bebop era, running into each other.

I asked, "what did you talk about?"

"He said, 'hi Al.' I said, "hello George."

That was it.

ahh, real life....

I've read something similar in a James Joyce biography once. Some Parisian hostess invited Joyce and Proust to dinner. Both came, to everyone's surprise in Proust's case. The hostess sat them down next to each other thinking that a great conversation would ensue, and everyone else would just bask in the resulting delight. But the only exchange occurred when Joyce turned to Proust mid-dinner, and asked "Do you like bon bons?" and Proust replied "No."

God knows whether it is true, but it should be true.

[Pete C]

the only exchange occurred when Joyce turned to Proust mid-dinner, and asked "Do you like bon bons?" and Proust replied "No."

That outcome is probably for the best. Just think, that question could have led to another 7 books.

[jlhoots]

William Faulkner once signed a book for Albert Einstein - From Bill, To Al
Destroyed any collector value it might have had.

BTW, slightly off-topic - The Prestidigitator.

[JETman]

BTW, slightly off-topic - The Prestidigitator.

Here, the off-topic is more on-topic than the on-topic.

[brownie]

I have the Verve Variations



A very good album with spare and intelligent use of strings.
The back cover of the LP lists 12 tunes but the album has 13 tracks ('Autumn in New York' is not listed but is included!).

It includes the rarely recorded tune 'Marcel the Furrier' written by Henri Renaud for fan/critic Marcel Fleiss.

[EKE BBB]

Complete info from Mike Fitzgerald's Jazz Discography website:

Date: June 10, 1954
Location: New York City
Label: Verve
George Wallington (ldr), George Wallington (p), Curly Russell (b), Arthur Taylor (d)

a. 1764-1 Before Dawn (George Wallington)
Verve LP 12": MGV 2017 — Variations (1957)
b. 1765 A Night In Tunisia (Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli)
c. 1766-3 If I Love Again (Jack Murray, Ben Oakland)
Verve LP 12": MGV 2017 — Variations (1957)
d. 1767-2 Your Laughter
Verve LP 12": MGV 2017 — Variations (1957)
e. 1768-2 Thoroughbred (George Wallington)
Verve LP 12": MGV 2032 — Potpourri Of Jazz
f. 1769-1 Without Reservation
Verve LP 12": MGV 2032 — Potpourri Of Jazz
g. 1770-1 Morning Dew (George Wallington, Mack David)
Verve LP 12": MGV 2017 — Variations (1957)
h. 1771-7 Busman's Holiday
Verve LP 12": MGV 2017 — Variations (1957)

All titles on: Norgran LP 10": MG N 24 — The Workshop Of The George Wallington Trio
PolyGram LP 12": POJJ 1522 — The Workshop Of The George Wallington Trio
Verve LP 12": MV 2539 — The Workshop Of The George Wallington Trio



Date: October 22, 1954
Location: New York City
Label: Verve
George Wallington (ldr), George Wallington (p), Clyde Lombardi (b), Joseph Livoti (vn), David Uchitel (vl), William Eder (vc)

a. 1997-3 My Funny Valentine (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) / arr: Sonny Lawrence
Verve LP 12": MGV 2017 — Variations (1957)
b. 1998-1 Alone Together - 2:38 (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz) / arr: Sonny Lawrence
Verve LP 12": MGV 2017 — Variations (1957)
c. 1999-4 Autumn In New York (Vernon Duke) / arr: Sonny Lawrence
Verve LP 12": MGV 2017 — Variations (1957)
d. 2000-3 Thou Swell (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) / arr: Sonny Lawrence
e. 2001-3 Invitation (Bronislau Kaper, Paul Francis Webster) / arr: Sonny Lawrence
Norgran EP 7": EP N 69 — George Wallington With Strings
Verve LP 12": MGV 2017 — Variations (1957)
f. 2002-3 Moonlight In Vermont (John Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf) / arr: Sonny Lawrence
Norgran EP 7": EP N 69 — George Wallington With Strings
Verve LP 12": MGV 2017 — Variations (1957)
g. 2003 Variations [on Polka Dot] (George Wallington) / arr: Sonny Lawrence
Verve LP 12": MGV 2017 — Variations (1957)
h. 2004 Racing (George Wallington) / arr: Sonny Lawrence
Norgran EP 7": EP N 69 — George Wallington With Strings
i. 2005-4 Marcel The Furrier (Henri Renaud) / arr: Sonny Lawrence
Verve LP 12": MGV 2017 — Variations (1957)
j. 2006-1 Ever Lovin' Blues arr: Sonny Lawrence
Verve LP 12": MGV 2017 — Variations (1957)
k. 2007 Hold Me Close arr: Sonny Lawrence
Norgran EP 7": EP N 69 — George Wallington With Strings
l. 2008 Morning Dew (George Wallington, Mack David) / arr: George Brackman

All titles on: Norgran LP 12": MGN 1010 — George Wallington With Strings

Edited by EKE BBB, 19 June 2012 - 12:55 AM.

[Bol]

Hmmm... Now, I think that I should really look for it. The fact that it is essentially a string quartet intrigues me. Thanks, everyone.

Edited by Bol, 19 June 2012 - 07:32 PM.

[Chuck Nessa]

Do you have me blocked? I gave that info a while back.

[Bol]

Do you have me blocked? I gave that info a while back.

No, not at all. It's just that Brownie was the first to really speak up for the album.

[Big Beat Steve]

No, not at all. It's just that Brownie was the first to really speak up for the album.

Tastes differ, you know. I am sort of underwhelmed by it. But that's only me.
Make no mistake, though - a JAZZ string quartet would be quite something else. Take it as advanced mood music and you will be fine.