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Frank Wess

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Frank Wess
Frank Wess (left) and Jimmy Owens, 1977
Frank Wess (left) and Jimmy Owens, 1977
Background information
Birth nameFrank Wellington Wess
Born(1922-01-04)January 4, 1922
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
DiedOctober 30, 2013(2013-10-30) (aged 91)
New York, U.S.
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Saxophone, flute
Years active1950s – 2013
LabelsCommodore, Savoy, Pablo, Progressive, Concord

Frank Wellington Wess (January 4, 1922 – October 30, 2013)[1] was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. He was renowned for his extensive solo work; however, he was also remembered for his time playing with Count Basie's band during the early 1950s into the early 1960s. Critic Scott Yanow described him as one of the premier proteges of Lester Young, and a leading jazz flutist of his era—using the latter instrument to bring new colors to Basie's music.[2]

Early Life

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Wess was born in Kansas City, Missouri.[3] Since he was young, Wess grew up listening to music. His mother was one of his major influences as she would take him to watch performers like Roland Hayes and Ida Cox. While speaking to his father, who was a school principal in Oklahoma, on a separate occasion, he discovered that his mother had wanted him to become a musician for a long time. Up until that pivotal moment, Wess had viewed his interactions with his mother as bonding where she emphasized the importance of being aware of culture. Before realizing that jazz was his calling, he had other interests. To name a few, Wess aspired to be a cabinetmaker and then a dentist.

Wess grew up loving the saxophone, specifically the tenor saxophone and alto saxophone. He had asked his mother for one since he was young, and she would always tell him, "Wait till you're ten years old."[3] He believed that this life truly started when he turned ten years old as that marked the start of his lengthy music career. Wess was drawn to the instrument as it was "closely related to the human voice."[3] In his eyes, the saxophone was an instrument that was relatively easy to learn, but difficult to master. In an interview with the National Endowment for the Arts, he said, "...if you can play it, it sounds good, you know. Lots of instruments, you put a whole lot into it and it still doesn't sound too good."[3] When he began playing the saxophone, he took influence from the sound of the horn.

Wess began with classical music training and played in Oklahoma in high school. He would travel around with the All-State High School Orchestra to perform.[4] In 1935, Wess and his family moved to Washington D.C.. At this time, he had not been playing any longer as burnout had gotten the best of him, causing him to grow "tired of the music."[4] Having that significant change in scenery revitalized and rekindled Wess's passion for playing music. During lunch time at his high school, students would host jam sessions in the orchestra. Billy Taylor was a student at his high school during that period of time. These sessions lit up that spark in Wess that made him start playing again. He experienced a shift in preferences as he opted to begin playing jazz. To be more specific, he played a big band style of jazz.

Living in Washington D.C. put him in proximity to Baltimore, Maryland, a city that marked a turning point in his young career. During the summer of 1938, Wess performed at a club in Baltimore with a group called the Hardy Brothers. He had two opening numbers in the same week, which gave him a boost of confidence. The next week, he performed another opening number at the Royal Theater, which only gave him more confidence to keep going.

World War II and The 1940s

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In 1941, Wess became a member of the U.S. Army.[5] His ROTC bandleader had been recruiting eligible young people who could play music professionally. He would serve as an assistant bandleader that played a variety of music - Viennese waltzes, vaudeville, classical and marching band to name a few. It was a 17-piece swing band, and they were sent to Africa in 1942. During that tour, they performed in Dakar, Casablanca, Monrovia, Tlemcen, and Algiers. During their first gig, they played for a group of Americans, Germans, and British. The highlight of Wess's time with the Army Band was accompanying Josephine Baker on tours for the Allied Power's troops.

Shortly upon returning from his time in the Army in 1944, Wess joined the Billy Eckstine and his orchestra. They had known each other before Wess went off to the War. At one point, Wess went to go see Eckstine at the theater; during this interaction, Eckstine said, "look, my tenor player is going into the army. Come on with me."[4] This interaction was fortunate for Wess, as this orchestra was legendary for being the first big band that played a new style of jazz known as bebop. Moreover, Billy Eckstine's Orchestra included pioneers for this new style of jazz: Fats Navarro, Miles Davis, Howard McGhee, Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons, Leo Parker, Tommy Potter, Art Blakely. However, this stint did not last for too long as the orchestra disbanded in 1947.

As a result of the disbanding of the Billy Eckstine Orchestra, Wess would proceed to play with the orchestras of Eddie Heywood, Lucky Millinder, and Bullmoose Jackson. Like with Eckstine, these stints were also short-lived as by 1949, Wess burned out again from the stress of being on the road for so much time. In addition, he was fed up with the maltreatment from society during this time due to his race. As a result, Wess would move back to Washington D.C. to enroll at the Modern School of Music in pursuit of a Bachelor's of Music degree. During this time, he re-discovered the flute. In high school, Wess's orchestra teacher gave him a flute, but he did not have anyone to teach him how to properly play it. However, this school had teachers from the National Symphony, so this represented a chance to learn the flute.

Count Basie and The "New Testament" Band

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Because of Wess's time with Billy Eckstine, he had the opportunity to interact with Count Basie. Eckstine had recommended him to Basie, and he tried recruiting Wess for a couple of years. However, he would consistently refuse to join the band as he did not want to leave school just to go back on the road as he had already grown tired of it, thus his motive for going to school in the first place. At the end of his time in school, Basie called him and said he could help get Wess more exposure. Wess's only condition was that he needed a salary, and Basie agreed to pay him what he was asking for.

Wess played a pivotal role in the formation of Count Basie's orchestra as he recruited the following musicians: Thad Jones, Bill Hughes, Eddie Jones, Al Aarons, and Eric Dixon. Together, this group of legendary musicians formed Count Basie's "New Testament" band. Throughout the years, other musicians came and went. Wess's versatility as an artist allowed him to play the flute, alto saxophone, and tenor saxophone. Basie's leadership style was unorthodox as he never rehearsed with the band, but rather, he would just sit and listen. Wess and his fellow musicians were the ones who decided on the arrangements. However, this approach to leadership allowed Basie to be aware of everything. He would have an eye on everything and knew what was occurring in the musicians' personal lives. While many could not comprehend Basie's approach, this allowed the members of the band to truly get to know each other so they could stay around long enough so that it translated into cohesive music pieces.

During his time with Count Basie's band, Wess developed a close connection with Frank Foster. There was a lot of interplay between both of the musicians in the various performances, which displayed how they had developed a personal relationship. This flourishing friendship displayed how Basie's leadership style had encouraged the musicians to form a deeper connection with each other.

When it came to instrumentation, Wess opted for the tenor saxophone and flute. This was critical in helping establish the swing in the orchestra's music, a component that Count Basie highly valued. For Wess, he felt that swing was important for anyone who wanted to play jazz. There had to be a constant pulse throughout the song. The musicians have to truly play together; they need to hear each other so that their instincts can help guide them on how to play next. Again, having that sort of connection points back to how Count Basie had led the band. In 1957, Wess willingly changed to playing the alto saxophone as the band had added Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.

In 1964, Wess departed from Count Basie's band.

Post Count Basie

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Following Wess's departure from the "New Testament" band, this marked a new stage in his career. He turned to Broadway and television as his next career path.[6] For Broadway, Wess was a part of the pit bands for the shows Golden Boy, Chicago, Annie, and Sugar Babies. On television, he would play for The Dick Cavett Show, The David Frost Show, and The Sammy Davis Show, among others.

Wess continued to play outside of musicals and television shows. He became a sideman that was often in high demand by all sorts of musicians. It is estimated "that between 1964 and 2011, he participated in sessions with around 150 different artists or ensembles, from Benny Carter to Jaco Pastorius and from Annie Ross to Diana Ross.[5] He was also a leader and co-leader for numerous sessions for the and Savoy record labels. Often, he would actually record sessions with his former band mates from his time with Count Basie, especially with Frank Foster. Together, they recorded two albums: Two for the Blues and Frankly Speaking. Both utilized the tenor saxophone, but played with such contrasting styles. Foster utilized a more aggressive approach while Wess focused on sounding more lyrical.

Wess was a part of some additional partnerships. He was a key part of The New York Jazz Quartet along with Sir Roland Hanna on the piano, George Mraz or Ron Carter on the bass, and either Ben Riley, Richard Pratt, or Grady Tate on drums. Wess's key was to always find a venture to keep him occupied.

At the age of 89 Frank recorded an album named Magic 101.[4] This album comprised seven songs played by Wess's quartet that included pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Kenny Davis, and drummer Winard Harper. Wess played the tenor saxophone throughout the song, showcasing a slower side of jazz.

The album began with a song named "Say It Isn't So," that showcased the swing that Wess had built his legacy on during his time with Count Basie. The second song, "The Very Thought of You," was a stark contrast to how the program started as leaned towards a ballad. The third song, "Pretty Lady," and the fourth one, "Come Rain or Come Shine," go down the blues path as they focused more on raw emotion. The next song, "Easy Living," was a way of showing the late night in a city.[7] The album then moves to "Blue Monk," to pick up the tempo and bring vibrancy to the atmosphere. Wess brought back a steady swing throughout the duration of this song. The album end's with Wess's solo saxophone rendition of Duke Ellington's "All Too Soon," where he created an intimate feeling for the listeners.

Death

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On October 30, 2013, Wess was in a taxi on "his way to get a dialysis treatment,"[8] when he suffered a sudden heart attack. At the age of 91, he died in that cab. His health had been in decline for months, but a month before his passing, he was still playing music with his friends. His last concert had been in April in New York at the 54 Below Club. He was survived by his companion, Sara Tsutsumi, two daughters (Michele Kane and Francine Wess), two grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Marc Loehrwald, a saxophone player, said that music had been Wess's life. He loved having the opportunity to play with other musicians, and he would try to invite young and moved musicians to his house for a jam session. Wess ensured that his legacy lived far beyond than the confines of his own family.

Discography

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As leader

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With the New York Jazz Quartet

As sideman

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With Toshiko Akiyoshi

With Manny Albam

With Lorez Alexandria

With Gene Ammons

With Dorothy Ashby

With Count Basie

With Count Basie Orchestra

With Benny Carter

With Ron Carter

With Kenny Clarke

With Hank Crawford

With Dameronia

With Charles Earland

With Harry Edison

With Frank Foster

With Gene Harris

With Johnny Hartman

With Coleman Hawkins

With Johnny Hodges

With Bobby Hutcherson

With Milt Jackson

With J. J. Johnson

With Elvin Jones

With Etta Jones

With Quincy Jones

With Thad Jones

With Dick Katz

With Yusef Lateef

With Junior Mance

With Arif Mardin

With Les McCann

With Jimmy McGriff

With Charles McPherson

With Helen Merrill

With Oliver Nelson

With David Newman

With Joe Newman

With Chico O'Farrill

With Houston Person

With Buddy Rich

With A. K. Salim

With Woody Shaw

With Zoot Sims

  • Passion Flower: Zoot Sims Plays Duke Ellington (1979) [9]

With Melvin Sparks

With Leon Spencer

With Dakota Staton

With Billy Taylor

With Earl Washington

  • Earl Washington All-Stars (Workshop, 1962)

With Charles Williams

With Gerald Wilson

With Lem Winchester

References

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  1. ^ Yardley, William (3 November 2013). "Frank Wess, 91, Saxophonist and Flutist With the Basie Band, Dies". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Frank Wess Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More ..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  3. ^ a b c d "Frank Wess". NEA Jazz Masters. National Endowment for the Arts. 2007. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  4. ^ a b c d Lazarus, Riel (2005-04-05). "Frank Wess: The Message of Swing article". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  5. ^ a b "Frank Wess". Noal Cohen's Jazz History Website. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  6. ^ Kugler, R. Anthony (2014). Contemporary Black Biography (Vol 116 ed.). pp. 159–161.
  7. ^ davesumner (2013-12-02). "Frank Wess – "Magic 101"". Bird is the Worm. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  8. ^ Colker, David (2013-11-01). "Frank Wess dies at 91; key player in major jazz ensembles". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  9. ^ "Zoot Sims Discography". Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
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