|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|||||||||||
A multi-instrumentalist whose inspired solos have kept big-band jazz fresh and vital into the present, Frank Wess is revered as a smoothly swinging tenor saxophone player in the Lester Young tradition, as an expert alto saxophonist, and as one of the most influential, instantly recognizable flutists in jazz history. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Wess first studied classical music and played with the Kansas All-State High School Orchestra. After moving to Washington, DC, as a teenager, in 1935, he began to play jazz in lunchtime jam sessions with fellow students, including Billy Taylor. An early touring career was interrupted by military service -- he played in a 17-piece band during World War II -- and then was resumed when Wess came out of the Army and joined an outstanding lineup in the Billy Eckstine Orchestra. It was at this time that he took up the flute, studying at the Modern School of Music in Washington. All this time, Count Basie had been calling. Wess finally joined his big band in 1953, helping it to evolve during its so-called "New Testament" phase and remaining with it until 1964. Wess's flute playing, set off by Neal Hefti's arrangements, contributed strongly to the Basie Orchestra's new sound, while his tenor saxophone playing served as a counterpoint to the more fiery sound of Frank Foster. Wess has played since the 1960s in countless settings: with Clark Terry's big band, the New York Quartet with Roland Hanna, Dameronia (1981-85), and Toshiko Akiyoshi's Jazz Orchestra. During this period, he also bridged the worlds of jazz and popular show business. Wess performed as a staff musician for ABC Television, both for the Dick Cavett Show and for the David Frost Show (with the Billy Taylor Orchestra). In Broadway pit bands, he played for shows such as Golden Boy (starring Sammy Davis), Irene (with Debbie Reynolds), and Sugar Babies (with Mickey Rooney). For ten years, he played first-chair tenor saxophonist in the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. He has also led his own big bands on world tours, and has played recently in the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Big Band. Widely recorded on many labels, both as a leader and a sideman, Wess is a perennial favorite in Down Beat polls and a now-legendary presence on the jazz scene. Selected Discography Count Basie, Verve Jazz Masters, Verve, 1954-65 National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal
agency |
|
|||||||||||||
