Billy Wallace

[Vincent, Paris]

The legendary pianist from Chicago Billy Wallace, who recorded with Frank Strozier and Max Roach, is still alive. He is active on the Seattle jazz scene.

There is a long feature about him on a local jazz magazine that you can check on-line - search for the February 2002 issue.

[Chas]

I'm upping this old , aborted Billy Wallace thread , because I think the Billy Wallace discussion going on in another thread belongs in it . Here's that discussion :

Do you know the unreleased at the time Strozier 1960 VeeJay album "Cool, Calm and Collected," released in 1993 with numerous alternate takes? Fine rhythm section -- Billy Wallace, Bill Lee, and Vernel Fournier -- and the date was recorded with exceptional presence at Universal Studios in Chicago, probably by engineer Bruce Sweiden, who did a number of Chicago VeeJay dates. In any case, Universal Studios was just a good, airy room, a la Columbia's 30th St. Studio. Arguably, Wallace is a bit high in the mix, and his instrument is not the finest, but the band is in the room with you. Some of the best Fournier on record. The liner notes oddly refer to Billy Wallace as "Wallace William" and quote Dan Morgenstern as saying this "may be his only record." If there was a Wallace William, maybe so (no blame to Dan for responding thusly to an erroneous question), but this is Billy Wallace (correctly identified on the back cover of the CD), who recorded with Max Roach among others.

Do you know if this is the same Billy Wallace who now lives in Seattle? I heard him play with Von Freeman a couple of years back at Tula's and it was a great evening of music.

If he played with Von it's probably the same Billy Wallace. If so, great news that he's still with us. It looks like Max's "Jazz in 3/4 Time" and "Live at the Bee Hive" may be Wallace's only records. Toward the end of his solos, he liked to play semi-parallel lines in the upper and lower registers. The young Denny Zeitlin may have picked up on this, though it's also possible that Denny began to do that kind of thing independently (I mention this because both were Chicago-area players, though Denny was a fair bit younger at the time, in his late teens). In both cases, there was some real in-the-moment thinking involved in this; it wasn't just a worked-out, worked-up device. I think Wallace might have been from Milwaukee originally.

I recently spoke with John Bishop, and this is definitely the same Billy Wallace. He moved to Las Vegas a couple of years ago so no longer is on the Seattle scene. Drat! I would have loved to hear him in performance again.

Thanks, Bill. In case you missed it, I just ran across another recording on which Wallace appears, singer Johnny Janis' "The Start of Something New" (Columbia, c. 1959-60). It's mentioned in this recent thread about Janis, which I launched:

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...84&hl=janis

The album is notable for Janis' work but doesn't tell us much about Wallace that we don't already know -- his trio plays a mostly subsidiary, neo-Red Garland role, though tastily so. I spoke to Janis and he doesn't recall who the bassist and drummer were, though he said that this was Wallace's regular working group, and that they were the house trio at a particular Chicago club (probably on or near Rush St.) for some time, maybe a year or more.

The link in the first post to the feature article on Wallace is dead , so here is that article :

Earshot Jazz • February 2002 • pages 4 & 5

BY MEGAN AEMMER

Billy Wallace Hits High Gear

- A Decade on the Seattle Music Scene Has Pianist Firmly Established

Some describe pianist Billy Wallace as a quiet man. But his seemingly introverted demeanor belies a rich cache of stories, a memory that’s sharp as a tack, a crooner’s clear, mellow tenor voice and piano playing that bubbles and flows like a hidden crystal spring. Although he’s a relatively recent transplant, (he moved to Seattle in 1991), Wallace has put down strong roots as one of the cities most impressive local musicians. His playing has been described in the Seattle Times as “like a cascade of water,” a sound that refreshes audience members seven nights a week. Floyd Standifer, a local legend himself, who plays with Wallace at the New Orleans Restaurant and the Pampas Room, calls him a marvelous, extraordinary player. “Oh, there are nights when he does some things that make you wonder, ‘Where did he get that from,’ you know… there are some nights when you go, ‘Wow, boy that’s as good as it’s ever gonna get,’” Standifer beamed. Wallace relocated to Seattle after living in Denver for 20 years. He had lived a wandering life, living in Minneapolis/St. Paul and in Chicago as well as traveling to Germany, Japan, Finland and Norway. Born in Milwaukee, the wiry Wallace is largely self-taught. After cutting his teeth on boogie-woogie while in high school, he began playing professionally in 1946 at the age of 17. Instead of staying home and practicing, he spent the following decade of his life performing and traveling, gaining experience that proved more useful than private lessons and practicing with a metronome. Wallace recalled one story from his early days of roving with a twinkle in his eye as he reminisced about small-town America during the late 1940s. “This particular band — we went from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to North Platte, Nebraska to audition. Eight hundred miles to audition! And then when we got there, the saxophone player had left his horn in Rockford. The tavern — it was really a road-house called Joe’s Dine & Dance — the owner called up the person he knew that had the music store and he said ‘I need a saxophone.’ And in 15 minutes, I mean, the store had been closed already, but the owner went in, opened the store, and brought a saxophone over,” he recalled. As for bright lights and big cities, he’s seen his share of them as well. During 14 years spent living and playing in Chicago, he met and played with some of the brightest luminaries in jazz, who also became his biggest influences. “I met a lot of people (at after-hours clubs). I met Art Tatum, Sarah Vaughn and other celebrities,” recalled the self-described night owl. (To this day, staying up until four a.m. isn’t unusual for the energetic grandfather). According to Wallace, Sunday night was the big night to go out for the hardy revelers in bebop’s heyday. If you went out on the weekend, you were square. After-hours clubs were open till the wee hours. Breakfast shows started at four a.m., the last show at seven a.m. For musicians and listeners who wanted more, jam sessions were often held from seven in the morning until after noon. “Sunday and Monday were big days in the entertainment field,” he noted. The hearty after-hours scene also provided Wallace with ample opportunities to jam with the likes of Charlie Parker and work with Sonny Stitt, Frank Foster, Illinois Jaquet and Von Freeman. During his career, he has recorded with Billy Mitchell, Bunky Green, B.B. King, Frank Strozier, and the Impressions. He also accompanied Lou Rawls, Johnny Hartman, and Anita O’Day. Drummer Max Roach was a frequent collaborator as was trumpeter Clifford Brown, with whom he released the album Raw Genius. “The list (of people I’ve worked with) would be so long,” he chuckled. Although he played with such bright stars, he claims butterflies in his stomach were never a problem. He denies chasing the spotlight, but freely admits that he’s never had a problem with being the center of attention. “I never had stage fright. You know, I played with Max Roach at Town Hall in New York, and the only thing I could think of was ‘Wait til they hear me,’” he laughed. Those who hear him will hear some of Bud Powell, Ahmad Jamal and Errol Garner, who are among his major influences on piano, while Frank Sinatra, Joe Williams, Carmen McRae and Nat Cole are some favorite singers. A dash of Johnny Hartman (with whom he played) and perhaps a pinch of Sinatra are also evident in his singing. Harmonically, Wallace was greatly influenced by pianist Chris Anderson, whom he spent great amounts of time with in 1950s Chicago. Anderson, bassist Bill Lee and Wallace were seemingly inseparable, as he fondly recalled. “We were always at one of the three’s house… rehearsing, playing. We had different people over; people like Clifford Brown, (and) Frank Foster have been to my house. A lot of these people came. In fact, Ahmad Jamal once called Bill Lee, Chris and me the Holy Trinity because we were together so much.” After Chicago, Wallace was in Minneapolis. He spent six years there before he continued on to Denver. It was in Denver that he met bassist Phil Sparks, who he currently plays with as part of the Floyd Standifer Quartet. Sparks, who moved to Seattle in 1983, introduced Wallace to Standifer in the early ’90s, which helped him land his current gig at the New Orleans. These days, Wallace can be found playing at various local restaurants and clubs every night of the week. Although he plays every night, each of his jobs has a different flavor and feel. Playing at the Waterfront is about atmosphere and ambience; sitting alone at the piano, just inside the door of the ornate restaurant and to the left of a bar with a sumptuous view of Elliot Bay. Diners don’t necessarily applaud or listen. But those who do will hear everything from “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ” to “The Girl From Ipanema” and about anything else. Drummer Clarence Acox once said of Wallace, “He knows 2000 tunes—in every key!” Where Waterfront is a more sophisticated, dressed-up affair —the drink menu sports $200 shots of aged rum—the New Orleans Restaurant, in Pioneer Square, has a down-home atmosphere (accented by brick walls and a green ceiling) and the regulars come as much for the jazz as the jambalaya. On Wednesday nights, the New Orleans hosts the Floyd Standifer Quartet, with Wallace lending his piano and vocal styles to a Cajun stew of classic swing, bebop and whatever else comes along. Wallace considers the New Orleans to be one of the bes venues in the world that he’s seen for a local musician. “People come and listen, you know… they patronize it regularly. We have a lot of people here who come here every week!” Other musicians also stop by to listen, including vocalist Edmonia Jarrett, who was in the house one Wednesday night in January. “You got the places like Jazz Alley, Basin Street, and those different places—well known clubs. But they hire only people with big names. For local people, this club (the New Orleans) is one of the best clubs.” Wallace also noted Tula’s as a good venue for locally grown jazz. The Pampas Room at El Gaucho is another scene that’s keeping jazz alive as dance music when the Billy Wallace Quartet takes to the stage with singer BB White on Friday and Saturday nights. Weekends also provide another opportunity for Wallace and Standifer to get together for a couple more nights each week. “He’s my piano player here at the New Orleans, and I’m his horn player at the Pampas,” Standifer remarked, adding, “it works out beautifully. It’s a chance to play three nights a week with an artist whose musical interests are pretty much the same as mine: harmonically, rhythmically… we come from the same generation, which means we have a shared experience.” An experience that Wallace and his peers are eager to share with Seattle, seven nights a week.

Billy Wallace : Photo by Daniel Sheehan

[johnlitweiler]

Thanks, Chas. Definitely original.

[Chas]

Billy Wallace has actually led three recording dates . The first one was done in Chicago in the late Fifties for Gig records . Accompanying Billy on the record were Bill Lee on bass , and Bill Hobbs on drums . Billy's trio had a long residence at a joint called Easy Street , before disbanding when Billy got the call from Max Roach to join his group .

I've wanted to hear this record for a long time ; if anyone has it , please get in touch .

Here's the cover :

And here's the cover of the Japanese CD reissue :

[Larry Kart]

Thanks, Chas. Easy Street must have been the name of the club that Johnny Janis mentioned.

Speaking of Chris Anderson, I heard him a few times in Chicago in the 1957-8 period, at Monday night jam sessions at the Gate of Horn. Absolutely magical; wish I'd had a tape recorder between my ears. Something like a cross between Jamal and early Bill Evans, who is said to have been aware of Anderson's playing, though Anderson's literal and figurative touch was unique -- at once feline-delicate (a la Jamal and Evans) and craggy-oblique (a la Andrew Hill, who no doubt heard Anderson when he himself was getting things together; Herbie Hancock admittedly was influenced by Anderson). Blind, and victim of a debilitating bone disease, Anderson was so fragile that he had to be lifted onto the piano bench. Amazing that he has survived; I believe he's still with us. If not, he was alive in 2002. Here's a 1982 NY Times piece about him.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...75AC0A964948260

And a Peter Watrous Times review from 1994:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...756C0A965958260

I've heard several Anderson albums, including the one (or was it two?) that he made for Riverside but some reason don't now have anything of his. The Riverside trio album I did have, with Bill Lee and Philly Joe, sadly somehow became too warped to play many years ago. No Anderson recording I've heard, though, matches my memory of how he sounded "live" in '57-'58. There was, I believe, one Anderson trio album on VeeJay from that period, but I've never run across it. Chicago was a happening town piano-wise (and otherwise) in that era.

Back to Billy Wallace.

[Chas]

Billy Wallace got the opportunity to lead a second date in 1979 when he was back in his hometown of Milwaukee . This record , on the MDM label , was recorded at the Milwaukee Jazz Gallery with local rhythm support :

His third date as a leader was done in 1994 in Seattle and released on Interplay/Norma (Japan) . It's a trio session with Phil Sparks and Clarence Acox :

Has anybody had more luck tracking down these records than I have ?

Re: Chris Anderson .... I have the Jazzland side , Inverted Image , but haven't been able to find the Veejay ( My Romance ) which came out in Japan only . Larry , your impression that Anderson was better than what's heard on the Jazzland is borne out by the liner notes to the album . In them we learn that Anderson was so dissatisfied with his own playing that a second session was done with Walter Perkins instead of Philly Joe , with the resulting album being a composite of the two sessions .

[Guest Bill Barton]

Thanks for pulling this up, chas. As I recently added to the other thread you were talking about, Billy Wallace is now in Las Vegas, he moved from Seattle a couple of years ago.

[AllenLowe]

I heard Chris Anderson at one of Barry Harris's NYC concerts, maybe 25 years ago, at least - he did not play that well, seemed frail and uncertain - are there any good and representative recordings?

[Niko]

I heard Chris Anderson at one of Barry Harris's NYC concerts, maybe 25 years ago, at least - he did not play that well, seemed frail and uncertain - are there any good and representative recordings?

the first frank strozier album on the Jazzland Twofer? (! imho)

[Larry Kart]

I heard Chris Anderson at one of Barry Harris's NYC concerts, maybe 25 years ago, at least - he did not play that well, seemed frail and uncertain - are there any good and representative recordings?

the first frank strozier album on the Jazzland Twofer? (! imho)

That's my memory too. And those are two more albums that I used to have but don't anymore. I just ordered the compilation.

[Larry Kart]

As fate would have it, Bob Porter just posted this on another site:

"I just got news that Chris Anderson died Monday February 4. No further details."

[Joe]

There's a recent-ish (well, its from 1987) Anderson solo recording available on the Mapleshade label:

[Chas]

His third date as a leader was done in 1994 in Seattle and released on Interplay/Norma (Japan) . It's a trio session with Phil Sparks and Clarence Acox :

Soulful Delight is now available at Dusty Groove. I'd like to finally get one of Billy's dates as a leader, but I'm not in the habit of dropping nearly forty dollars on a CD, four bonus tracks or not. The CD has a cover similar to the vinyl one posted above, but different from the original CD cover pictured below :

[Peter Friedman]

I heard Chris Anderson at one of Barry Harris's NYC concerts, maybe 25 years ago, at least - he did not play that well, seemed frail and uncertain - are there any good and representative recordings?

the first frank strozier album on the Jazzland Twofer? (! imho)

That's my memory too. And those are two more albums that I used to have but don't anymore. I just ordered the compilation.

I don't recall any mention of this CD .

Chris Anderson - Blues One - DIW

This is a trio date recorded in NYC on May 18, 1991. It has Ray Drummond on bass and Billy Higgins on drums.

I quite like this one and prefer it to the other recordings I have heard by Chris Anderson.

[Barbara Paris]

Billy Wallace now resides in Denver Co. at the Brookshire House. His last release was recorded in 2014 and release in 2016 on Perea Productions Llc. "Nine Decades of Jazz" with vocalist Barbara Paris, bassist Ken Walker, drummer Jill Fredrickson. Billy Wallace is now 89 years of age. Visit Spotify, or i-tunes for tracks.

 

[bertrand]

Does Billy still perform?

Bertrand.