"Frank Wess Quintet"

At JazzWax today, another perfect album—this time the "Frank Wess Quintet" in 1954. It was Wess's first 10-inch album as a leader for the Commodore label... https://t.co/L7RANEth4Y pic.twitter.com/xQWKOAIlO4

— Marc Myers (@JazzWax) March 14, 2019

trumpeter Joe Newman and saxophonist Frank Wess ....

Today at JazzWax, trumpeter Joe Newman and saxophonist Frank Wess swing on "The Happy Cats" (1957). Mee-yow... https://t.co/R0hbzwJMU1 pic.twitter.com/Bojt74bH9t

— Marc Myers (@JazzWax) 26 de abril de 2017

Frank Wess: Trombones & Flute

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

One of my favorite small-group jazz albums of the mid-1950s is Frank Wess's Trombones & Flute. The album, recorded for Savoy in July 1956, paired Wess on flute with four trombonists—Jimmy Cleveland, Henry Coker, Benny Powell and Bill Hughes. They were backed by Ronnell Bright (p), Freddie Green (g), Eddie Jones (b) and Kenny Clarke (d). The swinging, lyrical arrangements were by Frank Foster.

At the time, Wess, Foster, Coker, Powell, Hughes, Green and Jones were all members of Count Basie's New Testament band while Ronnell Bright would periodically sub for Basie into the 1980s. In 1956, to hold his band together at the dawn of the 12-inch LP era, Basie let his musicians make extra money recording as leaders during the band's down time. 

What we hear on this album is Foster setting Wess aloft on flute while unrolling a thick rubbery trombone cushion underneath. In effect, these are Basie arrangements in miniature. Two of the songs are Foster originals—Lo-Fi and You'll Do—while Wanting You and Don't Blame Me are standards, and Crackerjack is by Coker. 

If you decide to grab this one, you'll want the solo sequencing:

1. Lo-Fi—Hughes, Powell, Cleveland and Coker
2. Wanting You—Wess
3. Don't Blame Me—Hughes
4. Crackerjack—Hughes, Powell, Coker and Cleveland
5. You'll Do—Powell and Coker [Photo above of Ronnell Bright]

The creative album was conceived and produced by Ozzie Cadena (above) and recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Hackensack, N.J., which happened to be his parents' house. Wess was one of the first musicians to play jazz flute, and his sense of swing on the instrument here is intoxicating. The addition of Green was a nice touch, since he not only adds dimensional time-keeping but also a Basie flavor. What's more, we get to hear sensational trombones as a section and as individual soloists. And Ronnell is flawless as an accompanist and soloist—providing tasteful chords and provocative punctuation.

Frank Foster and Frank Wess (above, left and right) remain unheralded visionaries of big-band and small-group recordings—as reed-section musicians, soloists, leaders and arrangers. Foster died in 2011 and Wess died in 2013.

JazzWax tracks: A great deal here. Frank Wess's Trombones & Flute is available as a download for $4.45 or as a CD for $5.95 here.

JazzWax clips: How good is this album? Dig for yourself:

Here's Lo-Fi...

And here's Wanting You (wait for it to kick in)...

Used with permission by Marc Myers

All Nite Soul...

5:00 PM

Jazz Vespers

with the Joel Frahm Quartet

7:00 PM

ALL NITE SOUL

Honoring Frank Wess

Featuring over 80 musicians

with Frank Wess; The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra – John Mosca, Dick Oatts, Douglas Purviance, Jim McNeely, Nick Marchione, Tanya Darby, Terell Stafford, Scott Wendholt, Luis Bonilla, Jason Jackson, Billy Drewes, Rich Perry, Ralph LaLama, Frank Basile, John Riley and David Wong; Michael Weiss; Randy Weston; Steve Wilson; Peter Washington; Peter Van Nostrand; Javon Jackson; Jeremy Manasia; Ameen Saleem; McClenty Hunter; The Harlem Blues and Jazz Band, Steve Turre, Jimmy Owens; Winard Harper Quintet; Dominick Farinacci; Arturo O’Farrill; Nadje Noordhuis; Fabian Almazan; Deanna Witkowski; Filo Machado; Gabriel Allegria and his New York University Afro Peruvian Jazz Quintet; James Weidman; Joe Fielder; Josh Roseman; Alan Ferber; Bob Stewart; Alexis Cole; Joe Wilder; Chanda Rule; Gernot Bernroider; Jesse Lewis; Chris Dingman; Ike Sturm; Paul Knopf; Ken Simon; and more to come!

All Night Soul 2010 Honoring NEA Jazz Master, Saxophonist and Flutist Frank Wess

The Jazz Ministry at Saint Peter’s Church announces Musicians who will perform at All Night Soul 2010

Honoring NEA Jazz Master, Saxophonist and Flutist Frank Wess

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Saint Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington (at 54th Street), New York City

 New York, NY – September 10, 2010 -  The Jazz Ministry of Saint Peter’s Church – the Jazz Church – announces the musicians who have, as of this date, confirmed their planned performance at the 40th Anniversary of All Nite Soul on Sunday, October 10, 2010, including:

Frank Wess; The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra – John Mosca, Dick Oatts, Douglas Purviance, Jim McNeely, Nick Marchione, Tanya Darby, Terell Stafford, Scot Wendholt, Luis Bonilla, Jason Jackson, Billy Drewes, Rich Perry, Ralph LaLama, Frank Basile, John Riley and David Wong; Michael Weiss; Steve Wilson; Peter Washington; Peter Van Nostrand; Javon Jackson; Jeremy Manasia; Ameen Saleem; McClenty Hunter; The Harlem Blues and Jazz Band, Steve Turre, Jimmy Owens; Winard Harper Quintet; Dominick Farinacci; Arturo O’Farrill; Nadje Noordhuis; Fabian Almazan; Deanna Witkowski; Filo Machado; Gabriel Allegria and his New York University Afro Peruvian Jazz Quintet; James Weidman; Joe Fielder; Josh Roseman; Alan Ferber; Bob Stewart; Alexis Cole; Joe Wilder; Chanda Rule; Gernot Bernroider; Jesse Lewis; Chris Dingman; Ike Sturm; Paul Knopf and Ken Simon. Tulivu-Donna Cumberbatch and Brian Lynch will be the emcees and will also perform.  More performers are continuing to be added upon confirmation.

This year Frank Wess, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master, saxophonist and flutist will be honored.  The event begins with Jazz Vespers at 5 PM. All Nite Soul starts at 7 PM with over 80 musicians celebrating All Nite Soul and honoring Frank Wess. An “exhibit wall” in the Living Room of Saint Peter’s Church will tell the story of Frank Wess with memorabilia including photographs organized by James “Tad” Hershorn and Ed Berger of The Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University - Newark.  "Jazz Expressions," a photo exhibition of jazz musicians by RI Sutherland-Cohen, will also be on display in the Living Room.

Frank Wess is revered as a smoothly swinging tenor saxophone player in the Lester Young tradition, as an expert alto saxophonist, and as one of the most influential, instantly recognizable flutists in jazz history. He was a member of several Orchestras in the late ‘40’s including Billy Eckstine, Eddie Heywood, Lucky Millender and Bullmoose Jackson.

He was a long time member of the Count Basie band as well as band leader of his own bands, composer, arranger, teacher, saxophonist and flutist.  He has performed with numerous Broadway shows as well as many TV shows.  In 2007, Frank Wess received America’s Highest Honor in Jazz, the prestigious NEA Jazz Masters Award.

“In jazz parlance, tenor saxophonist and flutist Frank Wess is ‘somethin’ else.’ On one hand, (as Luis Bonillo said) Frank is the ‘pinnacle of elegance.’  On another, he is a down-home character who can swing like there’s no tomorrow, can play the blues with hearty grit, can write band parts that stand up and shout.”  The Star Ledger, Zan Stewart

All Nite Soul 2010 – Honoring Frank Wess takes place on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at Saint Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington Avenue (at 54th Street), New York City.

Frank Wess - Honoree at All Nite Soul....

The Jazz Ministry at Saint Peter’s Church

Frank Wess, NEA Jazz Master, Saxophonist and Flutist, Honoree at All Night Soul 2010, Sunday, October 10 - Saint Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington (at 54th Street), New York City

New York, NY – On this the 40th anniversary of All Nite Soul, the Jazz Ministry of Saint Peter’s Church – the Jazz Church – is thrilled to honor National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master, saxophonist and flutist Frank Wess. The event begins with Jazz Vespers at 5 PM. All Nite Soul starts at 7 PM with over 80 musicians celebrating All Nite Soul and honoring Frank Wess. An “exhibit wall” in the Living Room of Saint Peter’s Church will tell the story of Frank Wess with memorabilia.

Frank Wess is revered as a smoothly swinging tenor saxophone player in the Lester Young tradition, as an expert alto saxophonist, and as one of the most influential, instantly recognizable flutists in jazz history. In 2007, Frank Wess received America’s Highest Honor in Jazz, the prestigious NEA Jazz Masters Award.

Frank Wellington Wess was born on January 4, 1922 in Kansas City, Missouri. Frank first studied classical music and played with the Kansas All-State High School Orchestra. After moving to Washington, DC, in 1935, he began to play jazz in lunchtime jam sessions with fellow students, including Billy Taylor. An early touring career was interrupted by military service –– he played in a 17-piece band during World War II –– and then was resumed when he came out of the Army and joined an outstanding lineup in the Billy Eckstine Orchestra. It was at this time that he took up the flute, studying at the Modern School of Music in Washington.

Wess joined the Count Basie big band in 1953, helping it to evolve during its so-called "New Testament" phase and remaining with it until 1964. Wess's flute playing, set off by Neal Hefti's arrangements, contributed strongly to the Basie Orchestra's new sound, while his tenor saxophone playing served as a counterpoint to the more fiery sound of Frank Foster. Wess has played since the 1960s in countless settings: with Clark Terry's big band, the New York Quartet with Roland Hanna, Dameronia (1981-85), and Toshiko Akiyoshi's Jazz Orchestra.

During this period, he also bridged the worlds of jazz and popular show business. Wess performed as a staff musician for ABC Television, both for the Dick Cavett Show and for the David Frost Show (with the Billy Taylor Orchestra). In Broadway pit bands, he played for shows such as Golden Boy (starring Sammy Davis), Irene (with Debbie Reynolds), and Sugar Babies (with Mickey Rooney).

For ten years, he played first-chair tenor saxophonist in the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. He has also led his own big bands on world tours, and has played recently in the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Big Band. Widely recorded on many labels, both as a leader and a sideman, Wess is a perennial favorite in DownBeat polls and a now-legendary presence on the jazz scene. His most recent album is Once is Not Enough (Labeth, 2009) (Thanks to the NEA for this biographical information.)

“In jazz parlance, tenor saxophonist and flutist Frank Wess is ‘somethin’ else.’ On one hand, (as Luis Bonillo said) Frank is the ‘pinnacle of elegance.’ On another, he is a down-home character who can swing like there’s no tomorrow, can play the blues with hearty grit, can write band parts that stand up and shout.” The Star Ledger, Zan Stewart

“All Nite Soul” was created in 1970 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the first Jazz Vespers service held in 1965. The event has continued every year since then with hundreds of musicians performing and coming together in a “jazz love fest.” The Hungry Souls’ Café, an important feature of the event, serves homemade Soul Food! All Nite Soul is held in October starting on the Sunday evening of Columbus Day weekend and continues into Monday morning, hence the name All Nite Soul. Each year a major jazz icon is celebrated. Those honored in recent years include Dr. Billy Taylor, Benny Powell, Jane Jarvis and Joe Wilder.

The Jazz Ministry of Saint Peter’s Church is “a home for diverse individuals and communities which celebrates the dignity and vitality of Jazz, provides vibrant liturgy and pastoral care, and through intersecting partnerships, offers jazz programs, education and services.” An outreach program of Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in New York City, The Jazz Ministry was founded in 1965 by the late Reverend John Garcia Gensel who created Jazz Vespers, a worship service featuring a wide range of jazz musicians that is held each Sunday at 5:00 PM.

Our pastors include Amandus Derr, Jared Stahler, Kaji Spellman, Bill Eschen, Héctor Ribone and vicar Kevin O’Hara. The Jazz Ministry thrives today with many events and programs such as All Nite Soul, Prez Fest, Jazz on the Plaza, Seminars for Musicians, Midtown Jazz at Midday, memorials, tributes, concerts, and others yet to be developed, to serve the jazz community.

All Nite Soul 2010 – Honoring Frank Wess takes place on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at Saint Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington Avenue (at 54th Street), New York City.
5:00 PM: Jazz Vespers Free Will Offering
7:00 PM: All Nite Soul Concert.

From: Jazz Promo Services - Jim Eigo, jazzpromo@earthlink.net

Frank Wess, Terrell Stafford, Rufus Reed and Ilya Lushtak
and Winard Harper.

Hank Jones and Frank Wess

Hank Jones and Frank Wess - Hank and Frank II (Lineage)

Frank Wess Nonet - Once Is Not Enough (Elabeth)

By John Schu
Hank Jones and Frank Wess Hank and Frank II Lineage Records
Frank Wess Nonet Once Is Not Enough Labeth Music

The second meeting of Hank and Frank is built around a menu of “less than” standards and “too” standards and features performances by guitarist Ilya Lushtak and vocalist Marion Cowlings. I was not familiar with Cowlings’ previous work but will seek some of it out; he has good pitch, delivers lyrics well and uses pleasing phrasing, especially on medium- to-up tempo tunes. A time traveler from about 1968 would recognize everything in Lushtak’s musical vocabulary, which makes it simpatico with the rest of the proceedings. Nothing can be said to be amiss, but almost everything seems subdued, familiar, and predictable, including the playing of the excellent veteran drummer Mickey Roker and bassist/producer John Webber. Many records have paid homage to the Blue Note covers. This one seems to emulate the mockingly bad cover art of the early Prestige records.

The nonet recording features six Wess originals," Lush Life," "Fly Me to the Moon," and "Sweet and Lovely," which are arranged by Wess, Dennis Mackrel, or Scott Robinson. Wess’ playing here is more interesting than on Hank and Frank II and so are the arrangements. The variety of solo instruments and the timbral variety achieved from Wess, Robinson, and Ted Nash doubling various saxophones and flute creates a much more interesting palette. Wess is particularly strong on the slower tempo tunes; "Lush Life," where he constantly references the melody without adhering to it, and "Dementia, My Darling." It may be a cliché to state that ballad playing often improves with age but it is true in this case, and the quality of the arrangements and compositions seems to have inspired those involved.

Jones was 90 and Wess over 85 when these recordings were made. The quality of their performances and that of Roker , a mere 75 or 76 should serve to inspire any musician entering conventional retirement age and remind us that it is possible to age extremely well.
http://jazztimes.com/sections/albums/articles/25642-hank-and-frank-ii-hank-jones-and-frank-wess