Frank Wess shines on tenor sax and flute ballads…
Frank Wess – The Frank Wess Quartet – Prestige Moodsville Vol. 8/ Craft Recordings #CR00959 – 180 gm mono vinyl – 1960 – 37:59 – ****
(Frank Wess – tenor sax, flute; Tommy Flanagan – piano; Eddie Jones – bass; Bobby Donaldson – drums)
The great dual instrumentalist (tenor sax & flute), Frank Wess, a mainstay of the Count Basie bands, was a perfect choice for Prestige Records to use for their Moodsville series of jazz ballads in the 1960s. Wess possessed an old school tenor tone, heavy on the vibrato, and his feathery tone, reminiscent of Lester Young, could be counted on by Basie, on ballad features. In addition, Frank’s talents included flute, which provided even more opportunities to solo.
Craft Recordings is issuing an audiophile remastering of Wess’ 1960 Moodsville quartet date. They used the original master tapes for the lacquers for mastering by Matthew Lutthans. Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s iconic studio, the sound mix is spot on, and well mixed, as it doesn’t get much better than having Van Gelder as an engineer.
Tommy Flanagan is a first choice pianist, with his melodic piano lines. He was used often to accompany Ella Fitzgerald. Bassist, Eddie Jones, was also in the Basie band, while Bobby Donaldson, on drums, was used by many during this time period for his time keeping skills.
The seven tracks on the album are mostly well known standards. Wess splits his time almost equally between tenor and flute. The flute features (“So Peaceful in the Country,” “But Beautiful,” and “I See You Before Me”) are dreamy and set a relaxed mood, while the other four tracks mix a combination of upbeat and swing tenor, heavy on Frank’s vibrato. The longest track, “Rainy Afternoon,” a Wess original, is blues driven, and would fit in nicely in the Basie book. “Star Eyes” is given a Latin reading, led by Bobby Donaldson’s cymbal work.
Wess and company were a nice addition to the Moodsville series. Their mastery of ballads is on full display here. Well worth checking out…
—Review by Jeff Krow
The Frank Wess Quartet – Prestige Moodsville Vol. 8
Tracklist:
Side A:
It’s So Peaceful in the Country,
Rainy Afternoon,
Star Eyes
Side B:
Stella By Starlight,
But Beautiful,
Gone With the Wind,
I See Your Face Before Me
