Search - Wardell Gray :: Way Out Wardell

As part of our Boplicity Jazz series we present one of the most historically important recordings first issued by the Los Angeles-based Modern label. Dating from 1948, some tracks recorded at the Shrine Studio as part of the Gene Norman sessions, this album features the cream of Los Angeles talent.Alongside Dexter Gordon - with whom he recorded - Wardell Gray was one of the most influential figures on the early L.A. bebop scene. His fast, flowing tenor saxophone work was eulogised by Jack Kerouac in On The Road. Alongside the fast-fingered piano work of Errol Garner and trumpeter Howard McGhee, he is clearly a star player. The session also featured Barney Kessel, Vido Musso and Red Callender.By the time Modern released this album, Wardell Gray was dead. He'd been found at the side of a road in May 1955, only 34 years old. The recording is a fascinating insight into the development of jazz on the West Coast as the older big band players battle it out with the new bebop stylists. This is a vital historical document.