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George Wallington

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George Wallington, accomplished pianist, composer, and arranger, had been closely associated with the progressive jazzmovement since the mid-40s when this new phase of American music was being nurtured in New York’s Harlem and along 52nd St. He was, in fact, the pianist with Dizzy Gillespie’s firstbop band at the Onyx club in 1944, where his contributionsreflected his innate creative ability, a talent that established himas one of the best composers in the progressive field.

Wallington’s astonishing, fast-moving eloquence as a pianist, contrasted strangely with his introvert, laconic manner as a person. He has too long been taken for granted, but his reissued trio sessions prove he was one of the most incisive and creative of pianists who helped write an important new chapter in jazz.

Backgrounder: George Wallington - Showcase (1954)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
June 27, 2025

George Wallington doesn't get enough credit for being one of bebop's earliest pianists. He played with Dizzy Gillespie and other nascent boppers in clubs on New York's 52nd Street in the mid-1940s. His compositions include Lemon Drop, recorded by Woody Herman, and Godchild, which was included on Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool recordings. He's a fascinating jazz figure. Among his albums, the one I'm spotlighting today is fascinating, both for the personnel and the arranger. Recorded in 1954 for ...
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Recording

George Wallington: Trios

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
August 12, 2015

In its infancy in the mid-1940s, bebop was about speed and generating ideas on the fly. This was particularly true of the piano, the instrument that typically kicked off bebop songs, kept the rhythm going and put meat on the bone, so to speak. At first, bebop's velocity made the style a private club, since few musicians could improvise in the vernacular at such a lightning-fast tempos. Speed also limited the number of musicians who could figure out the music ...
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