Vol. 1: 1944-1946

Vol. 1: 1944-1946

Track Listings

1. Fatha's Idea

2. Scoops Carry's Merry

3. Keep on Jumpin'

4. Blue Skies

5. Scoops Carry's Merry

6. Nonchalant Man

7. At the el Grotto

8. Now That You're Mine

9. Straight Life

10. Straight Life

11. Let's Get Started

12. Bambi

13. Blue Keys

14. T Zone

15. For You

16. Out of Nowhere

17. Thrust

18. East of the Sun

19. O Blues

Editorial Reviews
From Jazziz
Hines' 1943 band contained Parker and Gillespie, but so far no recordings by it have surfaced. However, 13 selections by Hines' 1944-46 outfit on RCA, ARA, and airshots, are heard on Wardell Gray, 1944-1946 as well as six 1946 tracks on which Wardell Gray appears with the Vernon Alley or Joe Swanson bands. Along with Dexter Gordon, James Moody, and Stitt, Gray was among the elite bop tenormen. When we first hear him with Hines, you can tell his major influence is Lester Young, although Gray has a broader tone. As time passed, Gray absorbed more ideas from Parker. He was a very relaxed, melodic performer whose solos swung gracefully and had excellent continuity. Another of his virtues was consistency; as his work here indicates, he was always at or near the top of his game. Carry takes several clarinet and alto solos here. It's interesting that a couple of his spots on alto have a Young-like quality, which he could have picked up from Gray. Hines, arguably the greatest of all jazz pianists, improvises laudably throughout, and Cook plays with power and imagination. There's also a fine bop-trombone solo by Benny Green in 1944 on "Fatha's Idea." The Alley tracks were cut in San Francisco (August '46) and the Swanson selections in Hollywood (Autumn '46). These tracks areambitiously arranged and have classical influences, a la Boyd Raeburn. (Brad Curtis is credited with the arrangements for the Alley tracks). Gray, trumpeter Ernie Royal, and alto saxophonist Jerome Richardson comprise the front line for the date. On the Swanson session, Buddy Collette appears on alto and flute, and Gerald Wiggins on piano. Note Gray's complex work on "For You" and "Thrust." Normally, he didn't go in for pyrotechnics, but he demonstrates here that he did have excellent chops. Collette's pretty, Young-influenced alto playing anticipates the work of Art Pepper and Bud Shank. Royal, a terribly underrated player, takes imaginative Gillespie-influenced solos, and Richardson is impressive, employing unusual intervals even by bebop standards.

Vol. 1: 1944-1946,Wardell Gray,Masters of Jazz,Bop,Jazz,Pop,Swing

Jazz Music: Vol. 1: 1944-1946

Jazz Music: