Magic 101

FRANK WESS: Magic 101
IPO, 2013

CLASSIC JAZZ – And this, my friends, is how it’s done. Sax/flute master Frank Wess was coming up on age 90 when this ballad-heavy set was recorded (in 2011), but it doesn’t just sound like an old man playing. It sounds like a classic. Leading a top-shelf quartet, Wess is swinging and erudite, with an economical, non-flashy style. Kenny Barron on piano makes a fine pairing. This set is all tenor sax, no flute.

Frank Wess : tenor saxophone
Kenny Barron : piano
Kenny Davis : bass
Winard Harper : drums

Try any track. Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 4, 6

1. 7:26 – easy swinger: sax glides on jaunty rhythm; classy piano/bass solos
2. 7:33 – ballad, slow and bluesy with a great, lyrical sax tone & sweet piano
3. 8:24 – duo ballad: lovely piano/sax interplay and a blue atmosphere
4. 9:03 – relaxed piano/sax duet: sax solo is conversational & delightful
5. 9:34 – quartet ballad, everyone takes it easy, smoky nightclub after hours
6. 6:58 – easy swing: Monk blues takes a long, cool stroll; niiiice sax solo
7. 4:12 – solo sax, digging into the lyrical possibilities of an Ellington melody

[ Fo ] - 13 June 2013