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Frank Wess dies at 91; key player in major jazz ensembles
Though the saxophonist never became as famous as other musicians of his time, he was a force in making the flute a jazz instrument. Long before jazz pianist Billy Taylor became world-famous, he planned in high school to switch to saxophone. But then he heard the new kid in school—Frank Wess—play the horn. “He's the reason ...
Frank Wess, January 4, 1922 - October 30, 2013
We have confirmation that Frank Wess died today. The flutist and saxophonist succumbed to kidney failure at 91. Wess played with undiminished spirit and creativity that kept him in the forefront of jazz soloists for decades after most of his contemporaries had retired or died. A professional from the age of 19, following service in World ...
Ron Aprea: Passion Supreme
by Nicholas F. Mondello
Ron Aprea is a saxophonist's saxophonist. After all, none less than the late, great Frank Foster called him friend, confidant, section mate and leader. And Foster wasn't alone in this regard. Aprea has been a mainstay and graced the sax section in the bands of Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman and many others. A multi-faceted musician with ...
Frank Wess: Magic 101
by Hrayr Attarian
In 2007, saxophonist and flutist Frank Wess was named NEA Jazz Master, and Magic 101 amply demonstrates why. This mellow session covers six standards and a Wess original, with a candid and unadorned style that is nevertheless powerful in its apparent simplicity.Like a wise raconteur, the 89 year-old (at the time of the recording) ...
Frank Wess: Magic 101
by Dan Bilawsky
Most musicians can't escape the ravages of time, but a select few seem to have taken a sip from the musical fountain of youth. The late Hank Jones, for example, played with brilliance and class until the day he died at the age of 91, and octogenarian drummer Roy Haynes continues to snap and crackle in ...
Frank Wess: Magic 101
by Jack Bowers
The “magic" here lies not only in the radiant music created by this stellar quartet of world-class musicians but also in the fact that its leader, Frank Wess, was a youthful eighty-nine years old when this splendid album was recorded in June 2011. Wess was once a star soloist (on tenor sax and flute) with the ...
Jim Snidero: A Tale Of Taste
by Dan Bilawsky
What's the hallmark of quality jazz? If this question was posed to a group of jazz musicians, each person would no doubt give a different answer that would speak to differences in taste. Some would lean on tradition and others might push the idea of innovation, but few, if any, would actually use taste itself as ...
Swingin' on a Riff . . . Hangin' by a Thread?
by Jack Bowers
Betty and I returned to Albuquerque on Memorial Day after attending Swingin' on a Riff, the latest in a series of marvelous semi-annual events presented by Ken Poston and the Los Angeles Jazz Institute for more than twenty years at venues in and around L.A. This one was held May 23-26 at the Los Angeles Marriott ...
Terri Lyne Carrington: The Long Road
by R.J. DeLuke
"Better Git It in Your Soul," a perspicacious jazz man once communicated in a song title more than half a century ago. Drummer Terri Lyne Carrington wasn't even born yet, but she sure did have it in her soul upon arrival. Long before she was even aware of bassist Charles Mingus, the author of those words, ...
Miki Hirose: Scratch
by Dan Bilawsky
Japanese trumpeter Miki Hirose joined the ranks of the relocated in 2003, when he adopted New York as his home; he's been making his presence felt ever since, working with Latin groups, big bands, genre-stretching small groups, and more. He's also logged time with risk-taking heavyweights, like organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, and two elder statesmen of ...
