Search - Frank Wess :: Long Road

Frank Wess is still best known for his years with Count Basie in the 1950s and '60s, but his fluent tenor saxophone solos and imaginative flute playing are just as convincing on his own recordings with smaller groups. He's heard here on two contrasting sessions from the early 1960s. The first, originally issued as Southern Comfort, has Wess in an octet with spare but punching arrangements provided by fellow tenorist Oliver Nelson. It's a relaxed, mainstream-modern set with Wess's tenor spinning out the smoothly liquid lines of the Lester Young school and peppering them with some gritty blues inflections when the spirit calls. Ray Barretto's congas often add a Latin element to the rhythm section, and there are plenty of solo spots for pianist Tommy Flanagan and the under-recognized Basie trumpeter Al Aarons. The second session has Wess leading a quintet and sharing the frontline with another leading Basie man, Thad Jones. Wess emphasizes his flute in the smaller group, demonstrating his critical role in making it an effective jazz instrument. Pairing it with Jones's muted trumpet on "Little Me," "Yo-Ho," and "Poor You," Wess and the group create a distinctively light texture, while still swinging vigorously. --Stuart Broomer