Wardell Gray - WAY OUT WARDELL

[JamesAHarrod]

My research on the various releases of WAY OUT WARDELL appeared in Names & Numbers No. 53 in April of 2010. I have completed additional research on additional releases of WAY OUT WARDELL and posted the update to my Jazz Research blog at;

http://jazzwestcoastresearch.blogspot.com/2013/08/way-out-wardell-james-a.html

I suspect that there are variations out there that have yet to be discovered, so another update is probably in the offing. Members interested in the Bihari record empire will note that I have provided a link at the end of the post to the film documentary on the Bihari Brothers, MUSIC BY THE POUND.

[Big Beat Steve]

Great job.

Says this Wardell Gray fan.

Looking through your research at a glance and in a nutshell, did I get this right? "Tenderly" remains the "odd track out" throughout these releases as

1) it does not feature Wardell at all

2) is a studio recording and not something taken from the "Just Jazz" concerts?

Any idea why this was retained? (Apart from the arbitrary programming and crediting on a lot of Crowns)

I have the Just Jazz tracks on a 70s UK Vogue double LP featuring the Just Jazz recordings, but apart from the various Way out Wardell" and "Shades of Gray" Bihari-related releases, have there been any other vinyl reissues of those recordings where the vinyls were credited specifically to Wardell Gray?

[JamesAHarrod]

I am guessing that the Biharis included TENDERLY as Erroll Garner was getting a lot of attention around that time with his CONCERT BY THE SEA album on Columbia.

Wardell is credited on the Crown JAZZ CONFIDENTIAL album for BLUE LOU.

I also have the Vogue two LP album and the Japanese King three LP set that features an artist rendering of Wardell, front and center on the jacket.

I will probably do a follow up piece on these albums as well as the Japanese CD reissue of WAY OUT WARDELL. All of these masters are now owned by ACE in the UK. They recently reissued some of the DOOTONE albums that they also own, perhaps we will see some quality reissues from ACE as well using the Just Jazz masters.

[mikeweil]

I have some obscure German pressed 3 LP box set with moste of these, but I will have to check first.

Great Blog!

[Big Beat Steve]

I have some obscure German pressed 3 LP box set with moste of these, but I will have to check first.

Great Blog!

You're not talking about the "West Coast Jam Sessions" 3-LP box on the Scarecrow label, are you?

That would be different live Wardell recrdings.

Edited September 2, 2013 by Big Beat Steve

[bertrand]

I will probably do a follow up piece on these albums as well as the Japanese CD reissue of WAY OUT WARDELL. All of these masters are now owned by ACE in the UK. They recently reissued some of the DOOTONE albums that they also own, perhaps we will see some quality reissues from ACE as well using the Just Jazz masters.

ACE has now issued this recording. Is the mastering good? Worth picking up? I am a bit confused by all the versions...

Bertrand.