Backgrounder: George Wallington - Showcase (1954)

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 a 10-inch Blue Note release, Showcase features Dave Burns (tp), Jimmy Cleveland (tb), Frank Foster (ts), Danny Bank (bar), George Wallington (p), Oscar Pettiford (b), Kenny Clarke (d) and Quincy Jones (arr).

George Wallington died in 1993 at age 68.

Here's George Wallington's Showcase...