Wardell Gray

[mrjazzman]

He was such a great player with a very short recording career, so I want it all. I have "Complete Sunset & New Jazz Masters, "Memorial Album Vol. 2 and "Wardell Gray w/Dexter Gordon The Chase". What am I missing, what do I need to purchase. Thanks.........

[B. Goren.]

I am very pleased with this 4 CDs set

[brownie]

If you have vol. 2 of the Wardell Gray Memorial, you also need vol. 1 (I like it even better) with its various takes of 'Twisted', a Gray classic if there ever was one. Al Haig shines on piano.

I also love Wardell Gray with Count Basie. The SagaJazz compilation 'Count Basie Septet & Octet' includes all his small group recordings with the Count

[BillF]

Some excellent Wardell on this one:

Thank you, David!

[king ubu]

some previous threads (focussing way too strongly on the circumstances of Gray's useless and premature death, alas):

more general ones:

various others ones:

and a recent one:

Much too little discussion of Gray's music, indeed!

[Big Beat Steve]

Much too little discussion of Gray's music, indeed!

You may be right but the problem with recommendations in threads like the current one is that most of Wardell's recordings have (thankfully) been around in so many packagings and guises and formats and a zillion different combinations that it is really difficult to spell out concrete recommendations that would lead the newbie to the ACTUAL release still in print at this VERY moment.

I, for example, have virtually all of Wardell's recordings (and treasure them and would wholeheartedly recommend any of them) but except for a few Basie and Gene Norman concerts they all are on VINYL in various packagings (pressings ranging from the late 60s to the late 80s and 90s) and what good would it do to recommend any of these to anybody starting from scratch NOW, seeing that even if the records were still around (quite a few are accessible in secondhand form) all too many would only go down the CD route nowadays. And sorting out which equals which TODAY in the most sensible packaging really would be a cumbersome chore.

This obviously limits concrete discussion of specific releases to those who have bought their recordings in recent times. Or just play it safe initially and go the route of the budget boxes available these days (there is one on Proprer too, I think).

Edited June 12, 2012 by Big Beat Steve

[king ubu]

You've certainly got a point there!

The Proper is the one depicted in post #2 I thought? Don't have it myself.

The Live Basie material on the disc brownie mentions is fine - a very good compilation from a series that's usually directed at newbies or casual listeners, but that one's a great release!

Another one:

[mikeweil]

Now that Savoy Bopland box is the definitive edition of that performance - highly recommended. Can be filed side by side with JATP and the like, methinks.

[Big Beat Steve]

Now that Savoy Bopland box is the definitive edition of that performance - highly recommended. Can be filed side by side with JATP and the like, methinks.

Seconded. That Bopland CD box is recommended indeed (incidentally it's one my few Wardell CD releases that I mentioned above (though I am still hanging on to my "The Hunt" Savoy vinyl twofer as well;)).

[BeBop]

I spent about 35 years as a Wardell Gray completist. I got to about 99 percent of all issued material (under anyone's leadership). Then I "bagged it" and really haven't listened since. Burn out. The hazards of "obsession". The internet, active reissue programs and the expiration of various copyright protection has made it a lot easier to be a completist. Perhaps if this had been the situation back in the 70s and 80s, the gathering process wouldn't have been so fatiguing.

[romualdo]

The Chase & the Steeplechase Decca 10" (with Dexter)has been reissued today in Japan (Universal "nice price" CD)

Have been hanging out for this one for some time now. The earlier Japanese CD reissue (early 2000's) was out of my price range.

Edited June 13, 2012 by romualdo

[JSngry]

The internet, active reissue programs and the expiration of various copyright protection has made it a lot easier to be a completist. Perhaps if this had been the situation back in the 70s and 80s, the gathering process wouldn't have been so fatiguing.

It's a tired, but it's a good kind of tired.

[Pete C]

This is one of my favorites:

http://www.amazon.com/Live-Haig-1952-Wardell-Quintet/dp/B00000B2EH

But it seems to be more currently available and cheaper under Hampton Hawes' name:

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/6729731/a/Memorial.htm

[Big Beat Steve]

Most of that was on the Xanadu LP 146 "Live In Hollywood" (and the rest - on vinyl too - was on Jam Session Records JS-101 as well as on the "West Coast Jam Sessions" Scarecrow SC-801/2/3 box set ). And no doubt these are nowehere near all of the reissues of this material.

94 bucks for that older Fresh Sound CD of course is plain silly (to put it mildly).

[JETman]

Most of that was on the Xanadu LP 146 "Live In Hollywood" (and the rest - on vinyl too - was on Jam Session Records JS-101 as well as on the "West Coast Jam Sessions" Scarecrow SC-801/2/3 box set ). And no doubt these are nowehere near all of the reissues of this material.

94 bucks for that older Fresh Sound CD of course is plain silly (to put it mildly).

I'll sell you mine for $90!

[Big Beat Steve]

No thanks, no point having that material in triplicate!

[JETman]

No thanks, no point having that material in triplicate!

You're obviously a cut above the rest of us jazz fiends!

[Big Beat Steve]

In this particular area MAYBE. Otherwise definitely not.

[Pete C]

No thanks, no point having that material in triplicate!

I made a carbon copy of the Fresh Sound disc, but I can't get it to play.

[BeBop]

No thanks, no point having that material in triplicate!

I made a carbon copy of the Fresh Sound disc, but I can't get it to play.

I ran mine through the mimeograph machine and now I can't get the original or the "copy" to play.

[Chuck Nessa]

Whatever. I bought the Xanadu lp. Xanadu bought the tapes from Bob Andrews, the fellow recording the performance. All subsequent issues are stolen from Xanadu as far as I'm concerned.

FWIW, I know/knew both Andrews and Don Schlitten.

[Gheorghe]

I also like the Xanadu live LP very much, the one with Art Farmer and Hampton Hawes.

I also like his work as a sideman. Some really great solos of Wardell Gray are on the Charlie Parker album "The Happy Bird" with long and very good tenor solos on "Scrapple from the Apple" and "Lullaby in Rhythm", that´s some of the best Wardell Gray I think.

[Big Beat Steve]

Whatever. I bought the Xanadu lp. Xanadu bought the tapes from Bob Andrews, the fellow recording the performance. All subsequent issues are stolen from Xanadu as far as I'm concerned.

FWIW, I know/knew both Andrews and Don Schlitten.

A question to those (i.e. you ) in the know:

Referring to this Sept. 9, 1952 live recording from the Haig:

Xanadu 146 has 7 tracks: The Squirrel/Taking A Chance On Love/Jackie/Donna Lee/Pennies From Heaven/Get Happy/Bernie's Tune.

Donna Lee also is on Jam Session JS 101 which has three more tracks: Lady Bird/Out of Nowhere/Keen and Peachy (aka Fine and Dandy). These 4 tracks (according to the Bruyningckx discography) also were on a Straight Ahead Jazz (SAJ) LP.

Now if Xanadu bought the tapes directly from Bob Andrews, how come they did not release all of it (but let it be released one way or another on JS and SAJ - which I presume were sort of "grey" labels). Did they actually release only part of the recordings themselves or was there another Xanadu LP somewhere that even Bruyninckx fails to mention?

Any ideas/background info?

Thanks!

Edited June 14, 2012 by Big Beat Steve

[flat5]

Hello Gheorghe, I agree "The Happy Bird" has great Wardell Gray.

I bought the LP when I was a kid and played it much.

As a 14 year old I loved the part where the drummer tells his wife to shut up :-)

[AllenLowe]

I don't think it's Wardell on The Happy Bird.