George Wallington
| George Wallington | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Giacinto Figlia |
| Born |
October 27, 1924 Palermo, Sicily |
| Died |
February 15, 1993 (aged 68) Cape Coral, Miami, Florida |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1940s–1993 |
George Wallington (born Giacinto Figlia; October 27, 1924, Palermo, Sicily – Cape Coral, Miami, February 15, 1993) was an American jazz pianist and composer.
Early life
Wallington was born in Sicily, and then moved to the United States (New York) with his family in 1925.[1] His father sang opera and introduced his son to classical music, but Wallington listened to jazz after hearing the music of saxophonist Lester Young.[1] He said that he acquired the name Wallington in high school: "I like to wear flashy clothes [...] and the kids in the neighborhood would say, 'Hey, look at Wallington!'"[1] He left school at the age of 15 to play piano in New York.[1]
Later life and career
From 1943 to 1953 Wallington played with Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Marsala, Charlie Parker, Serge Chaloff, Allan Eager, Kai Winding, Terry Gibbs, Brew Moore, Al Cohn, Gerry Mulligan, Zoot Sims, and Red Rodney, and recorded as a leader for Savoy and Blue Note (1950). Wallington toured Europe in 1953 with Lionel Hampton's big band.[2] In 1954-60 he led bands in New York that contained rising musicians including Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean, and Phil Woods.[2]
From 1954 to 1960 he led groups in New York that included newcomers Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean, and Phil Woods, recording as leader with these musicians for the Prestige and Atlantic labels.
In 1960 Wallington stopped playing music and moved to Florida[1] to work in the family air conditioning business,[2] citing the stress of endless touring. He returned to music in 1984 and recorded three albums.[2] He also performed at the 1985 Kool Jazz Festival in New York.[1]
Compositions
His best-known compositions are "Lemon Drop" (which gained attention when played by Woody Herman in the late 1940s),[3][4] and "Godchild" (one of the pieces played for The Birth of the Cool recordings led by Miles Davis).[1]
Discography
As leader
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–51 | The George Wallington Trios and Septet | Savoy | Trios, with Curly Russell (bass), Charlie Perry (drums), and Russell (bass), Max Roach (drums); septet with Jerry Lloyd (trumpet), Kai Winding (trombone), Brew Moore (tenor sax), Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Russell (bass), Perry (drums) |
| 1952–53 | The George Wallingon Trio | Prestige | Trios, with Curly Russell (bass), Max Roach (drums), and Oscar Pettiford (bass), Roach (drums) |
| 1954 | Trios | RCA Vogue | With Pierre Michelot |
| 1954 | The Workshop of the George Wallington Trio | Verve | Trio, with Curly Russell (bass), Art Taylor (drums) |
| 1955 | Live at the Café Bohemia | Prestige | Quintet, with Donald Byrd (trumpet), Jackie McLean (alto sax), Paul Chambers (bass), Art Taylor (drums) |
| 1956 | Jazz for the Carriage Trade | Prestige | Quintet, with Donald Byrd (trumpet), Phil Woods (alto sax), Teddy Kotick (bass), Bill Bradley (drums) |
| 1956 | Metronome All-Stars 1956 | Clef | One solo piano track "Lady Fair" |
| 1956 | Knight Music | Atlantic | Trio, with Teddy Kotick (bass) Nick Stabulas (drums) |
| 1957 | The New York Scene | New Jazz | Some tracks trio, with Teddy Kotick (bass), Nick Stabulas (drums); some tracks quintet, with Donald Byrd (trumpet), Phil Woods (alto sax) added |
| 1957 | Jazz at Hotchkiss | Savoy | Quintet, with Donald Byrd (trumpet), Phil Woods (alto sax), Knobby Totah (bass), Nick Stabulas (drums) |
| 1957 | The Prestidigitator | East-West | Some tracks with quartet; some tracks quintet |
| 1985 | The Pleasure of a Jazz Inspiration | VSOP | Solo piano |
As sideman
| Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946–49 | Chaloff, SergeSerge Chaloff | We the People Bop | Cool & Blue |
| 1949 | Sims, ZootZoot Sims | The Brothers | Prestige |
| 1950, 1954 | Cohn, AlAl Cohn | Al Cohn's Tones | Savoy |
| 1949–53 | Getz, StanStan Getz | Early Getz | |
| 1951 | Mulligan, GerryGerry Mulligan | Mulligan Plays Mulligan | |
| 1952 | Ross, AnnieAnnie Ross | Annie Ross Sings | |
| 1953 | Hampton, LionelLionel Hampton | Oh! Rock | Natasha |
| 1957 | Jaspar, BobbyBobby Jaspar | Bobby Jaspar with George Walligton, Idrees Sulieman |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wilson, John S. (June 16, 1985) "Jazz". The New York Times. p. G2.
- 1 2 3 4 Yanow, Scott "George Wallington – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- ↑ Jazz Times Aug 2001 Page 113 "Wallington's tricky "Lemon Drop" is played at manic speed, with some breathtakingly sharp ensemble passages"
- ↑ Jazz Monthly Issues 158-166 - Page 10 1968 "Woody Herman's "Lemon Drop" is on Capital ...