Frank Wess
Frank Wess | |
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Frank Wess (left) and Jimmy Owens, 1977 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Frank Wellington Wess |
Born |
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | January 4, 1922
Died |
October 30, 2013 91) Manhattan, New York | (aged
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Saxophone, flute |
Years active | 1950s – 2013 |
Frank Wellington Wess (January 4, 1922 – October 30, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist and flautist.
Biography
Wess was born in Kansas City, MO, the son of a principal father and a schoolteacher mother. He began with classical music training and played in Oklahoma in high school. He later switched to jazz on moving to Washington, D. C. and by nineteen was working with Big Bands. His career was interrupted during World War II although he did play with a military band in the period. After leaving the military, he joined Billy Eckstine's orchestra.[1] He returned to Washington DC a few years afterwards and received a degree in flute at the city's Modern School Of Music. He played tenor sax with Count Basie's from 1953 to 1964, doubling on flute.
Wess was considered one of the best jazz flautists of his time. From 1959 to 1964 he won Down Beat's critic poll for flute.
He was a member of Clark Terry's big band from 1967 into the 1970s and played in the New York Jazz Quartet (with Roland Hanna).[2] He also did a variety of work for TV.[3] In 1968 Wess contributed to the landmark album The Jazz Composer's Orchestra. Always a versatile, reliably swinging soloist, he played tenor and alto sax, always "doubling" on flute throughout his career.
In the 1980s and 1990s, he worked with Kenny Barron, Rufus Reid, Buck Clayton, Benny Carter, Billy Taylor, Harry Edison, Mel Tormé, Ernestine Anderson, Louie Bellson, John Pizzarelli, Howard Alden, Dick Hyman, Jane Jarvis, Frank Vignola and was a featured member of the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. In the 2000s, Wess released two albums with Hank Jones. In 2007, Wess was named an NEA Jazz Master by the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts.
Frank Wess died from a heart attack related to kidney failure on October 30, 2013.[4][5]
Discography
As leader
- Flutes & Reeds (Savoy, 1955)
- Opus in Swing (Savoy 1956)
- North, South, East...Wess (Savoy 1956)
- Jazz for Playboys (Savoy, 1957)
- Wheelin' & Dealin' (Prestige, 1957)
- Opus De Blues (Savoy, 1959)
- The Frank Wess Quartet (Moodsville, 1960)
- Southern Comfort (Prestige, 1962)
- Yo Ho! Poor You, Little Me (Prestige, 1963)
- Wess to Memphis (1970)
- Flute of the Loom (1973)
- Flute Juice (1981)
- Two for the Blues (1983)
- Two at the Top (Uptown, 1983)
- Entre Nous (Concord 1990)
- Going Wess (1993)
- Tryin' to Make My Blues Turn Green (Concord, 1994)
- Surprise, Surprise (Chiaroscuro, 1995)
- Hank and Frank (2002)
- Hank and Frank II (2009)
- Magic 101 (IPO, 2013)
With the New York Jazz Quartet
- In Concert in Japan(Salvation, 1975)
- Surge (Enja, 1977)
- Song of the Black Knight (Sonet, 1977)
- Blues for Sarka (Enja, 1978)
- New York Jazz Quartet in Chicago (Bee Hive, 1981)
- Oasis (Enja, 1981)
As sideman
With Toshiko Akiyoshi
With Manny Albam
- The Soul of the City (Solid State, 1966)
With Gene Ammons
- Velvet Soul (Prestige, 1960 [1964])
- Angel Eyes (Prestige, 1960 [1965])
With Dorothy Ashby
- The Jazz Harpist (Regent, 1957)
- In a Minor Groove (New Jazz, 1958)
- Hip Harp (Prestige, 1958)
With Count Basie
- And The Kansas City 7 (Impulse 1962)
- Dance Session (Clef, 1953)
- Dance Session Album #2 (Clef, 1954)
- Basie (Clef, 1954)
- Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings (Clef, 1955) with Joe Williams
- April in Paris (Verve, 1956)
- The Greatest!! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards with Joe Williams
- Metronome All-Stars 1956 (Clef, 1956) with Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Williams
- Hall of Fame (Verve, 1956 [1959])
- Basie in London (Verve, 1956)
- One O'Clock Jump (1957)
- The Atomic Mr. Basie (Roulette, 1957) aka Basie and E=MC2
- Basie Plays Hefti (Roulette, 1958)
- Chairman Of The Board (Roulette 1958)
- Sing Along with Basie (Roulette, 1958) - with Joe Williams and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
- Basie One More Time (Roulette, 1959)
- Breakfast Dance and Barbecue (Roulette, 1959)
- Everyday I Have the Blues (Roulette, 1959) - with Joe Williams
- Dance Along with Basie (Roulette, 1959)
- String Along with Basie (Roulette, 1960)
- Not Now, I'll Tell You When (Roulette, 1960)
- The Count Basie Story (Roulette, 1960)
- Kansas City Suite (Roulette, 1960)
- First Time! The Count Meets the Duke (Columbia, 1961)
- The Legend (Roulette, 1961)
- Back with Basie (Roulette, 1962)
- Basie in Sweden (Roulette, 1962)
- On My Way & Shoutin' Again! (Verve, 1962)
- This Time by Basie! (Reprise, 1963)
- More Hits of the 50's and 60's (Verve, 1963)
- Ella and Basie! (Verve, 1963)
With Kenny Clarke
- Telefunken Blues (Savoy 1955)
With Hank Crawford
- Mr. Blues Plays Lady Soul (Atlantic, 1969)
With Harry Edison
- Swing Summit (Candid 1990)
With Frank Foster
- No Count (Savoy 1956)
With Gene Harris
- Nothin' but the Soul (Concord 1995)
With Johnny Hodges
- Don't Sleep in the Subway (Verve, 1967)
- 3 Shades of Blue (Flying Dutchman, 1970)
With Bobby Hutcherson
- Conception: The Gift of Love (Columbia, 1979)
With Milt Jackson
- Meet Milt Jackson (Savoy, 1955)
- Opus de Jazz (Savoy, 1955)
- Bags & Flutes (Atlantic, 1957)
With J. J. Johnson
- Broadway Express (RCA Victor, 1965)
With Elvin Jones
- Elvin! (Riverside, 1961–62)
- And Then Again (Atlantic, 1965)
- Time Capsule (Vanguard, 1977)
With Quincy Jones
- The Birth of a Band! (Mercury, 1959)
With Thad Jones
- Olio (Prestige, 1957)
- After Hours (Prestige, 1957)
With Yusef Lateef
- Part of the Search (Atlantic, 1973)
With Junior Mance
- I Believe to My Soul (Atlantic, 1968)
With Arif Mardin
- Journey (Atlantic, 1974)
With Les McCann
- Another Beginning (Atlantic, 1974)
With Jimmy McGriff
- The Big Band (Solid State, 1966)
With Charles McPherson
- Today's Man (Mainstream, 1973)
With Oliver Nelson
- The Spirit of '67 with Pee Wee Russell (Impulse!, 1967)
With David Newman
- The Weapon (Atlantic, 1973)
With Joe Newman
- The Count's Men (Jazztone, 1955)
- I Feel Like a Newman (Storyville, 1956)
- The Midgets (Vik, 1956)
- The Happy Cats (Coral, 1957)
- Counting Five in Sweden (Metronome, 1958)
- Jive at Five (Swingville, 1960)
With Chico O'Farrill
- Nine Flags (Impulse!, 1966)
With Houston Person
- Sweet Buns & Barbeque (Prestige, 1972)
With Buddy Rich
- The Wailing Buddy Rich (Norgran, 1955)
With A. K. Salim
- Flute Suite (Savoy, 1957) with Herbie Mann
With Woody Shaw
- Rosewood (Columbia, 1977)
With Zoot Sims
- Passion Flower: Zoot Sims Plays Duke Ellington (1979) [6]
With Melvin Sparks
- Akilah! (Prestige, 1972)
With Leon Spencer
- Where I'm Coming From (Prestige, 1973)
With Billy Taylor
- Billy Taylor with Four Flutes (Riverside, 1959)
- Kwamina (Mercury, 1961)
With Charles Williams
- Stickball (Mainstream, 1972)
With Gerald Wilson
- New York, New Sound (Mack Avenue, 2003)
References
- ↑ "Frank Wess: The Message of Swing". Allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
- ↑ Scott Yanow (1922-01-04). "Frank Wess | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
- ↑ "Frank Wess". Hpnewyork.com. 1922-01-04. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
- ↑ Hum, Peter. "RIP, Frank Wess | Ottawa Citizen". Blogs.ottawacitizen.com. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/arts/music/frank-wess-91-flutist-for-the-basie-band-dies.html?ref=obituaries&_r=0
- ↑ "Zoot Sims Discography". Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
External links
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