Wardell Gray Memorial, Volume One and Wardell Gray Memorial, Volume Two are a pair of separate but related compilation albums by jazz saxophonist Wardell Gray released by Prestige Records in 1955.
Background Wardell was born in Oklahoma City, February 13, 1921. In 1935 he transferred to Cass Technical High School, where he began "playing with the local bands of Jimmy Rachel and Benny Carew".liner notes by Ira Gitler From 1943 to 1945, he doubled on tenor saxophone and clarinet for Earl Hines. After a "short spell" with Billy Eckstine, he joined Benny Carter's band in 1946, with whom he "went out to the West Coast and decided to remain for a while."
In 1948, Wardell moved to New York and started playing with Benny Goodman's Sextet and his big band. During that time, he worked with Tadd Dameron, Count Basie, and Sonny Stitt, which, according to Art Farmer, lead to a significant change in style he kept from Hines' days.
In 1950, "he returned to Detroit and spent several months there with his own quartet", after which he returned to playing with Count Basie, with whom he stayed before settling in California at the end of 1951.
Critical reception In a contemporaneous review for DownBeat, Nat Hentoff awarded the album four-out-five stars, saying:
Burt Korall, writing in November, 1955 for Metronome, said:
The April 28, 1956 edition of Billboard called Volume Two, "A convenient collection of some of the better sides by the late tenor man, available up until now only on scattered LP’s and EP’s. The material in this album was originally recorded in 1950 and 1951. The latter recording date was memorable for the early appearance of trumpet man Art Farmer. His blowing in Farmer’s Market proved to be a springboard to fame. In the same session, Gray cut Jackie, Sweet and Lovely and Lover Man, all available here. The earlier sessions had Sonny Criss and Clark Terry, among others, in attendance, with Dexter Gordon sitting in on Move."
Track listing
Wardell Gray Memorial, Volume One
Original release
1992 Original Jazz Classics CD reissue
Tracks 1 to 14 recorded New York, November 11, 1949 Tracks 15 to 18 recorded Los Angeles, February 20, 1953 From liner notes: "In order to accommodate the ten alternate tracks now included in Volume 1 and to preserve the approximately equal lengths of the two discs, four tracks ("Grayhound", "Blue Gray", "Treadin'" and "A Sinner Kissed by an Angel") that were originally part of Volume 1 now appear on Volume 2."
Wardell Gray Memorial, Volume Two
Original release
1992 Original Jazz Classics CD reissue
tracks 1–10 recorded in Detroit, April 25, 1950 tracks 17–18 recorded live at the Hula Hut Club in Los Angeles, August 27, 1950. tracks 11–16 recorded in Los Angeles, January 21, 1952.
Personnel
Musicians
November 11, 1949
Wardell Gray – tenor saxophone Al Haig – piano Tommy Potter – bass Roy Haynes – drums recorded in New York
April 25, 1950
Wardell Gray – tenor saxophone Hampton Hawes – piano John Richardson – bass Art Mardigan – drums recorded in Detroit
August 27, 1950
Wardell Gray – tenor saxophone Dexter Gordon – tenor saxophone ("Move" only) Sonny Criss – alto saxophone Clark Terry – trumpet Jimmy Bunn – piano Billy Hadnott – bass Chuck Thompson – drums recorded live at the Hula Hut Club in Los Angeles
January 21, 1952
Wardell Gray – tenor saxophone Art Farmer – trumpet (except "Sweet and Lovely") Hampton Hawes – piano Harper Cosby – bass Larry Marable – drums Robert Collier – congas (except "Sweet and Lovely" and "Lover Man") recorded in Los Angeles
February 20, 1953: Teddy Charles' West Coasters
Frank Morgan – alto saxophone Wardell Gray – tenor saxophone Teddy Charles – vibraphone Sonny Clark – piano Dick Niveson – bass credited as Dick Nivison Larance Marable – drums recorded in Los Angeles
Technical personnel
Ira Gitler – liner notes Ray Avery – photography Joe Tarantino (1992) – digital remastering engineer
References