The Short and Curious Life of Wade Legge

[Chuck Nessa]

https://www.buffalorising.com/2020/06/the-short-and-curious-life-of-wade-legge/?fbclid=IwAR1D0_54j0VFlVzcK9G6NlDOhMxcD8lCCJUyx5LHZWnn3IfrSrASFWtjMak

[JSngry]

Always a name that intrigues, thanks for sharing.

[clifford_thornton]

Huh.

[Late]

The funny thing is, I know Wade Legge but not Al Tinney.

 

[Dan Gould]

I don't think "funny" I think predictable. Maybe in Buffalo Tinney is still remembered, in the larger scheme of jazz history? Legge has him beat easy unless the measure is longevity.

[Chuck Nessa]

The piece was written for a local Buffalo publication. The name Tinney still resonates here.

[Peter Friedman]

Thanks Chuck. It is always interesting to me to discover why certain very good jazz musicians disappeared from the scene.

This inspires me to pull out the recording I have by Wade Legge.

[ghost of miles]

A rather short and curious article!  We've discussed Legge around these parts before, iirc... I need to revisit that trio album.

[JSngry]

What were Legge's health issues?

[Big Beat Steve]

Anybody seriously interested in the "Swing to Bop" transitional years (including the seminal live recordings caught on wire by Jerry Newman and essential in this context) will at least have heard of Allen "Pee Wee" Tinney.

Pee Wee actually was his brother but that's how Allen appeared on some lineups. At any rate, Allen Tinney does have a Wikipedia entry, and his presence in the Jive Bombers vocal group of the 50s did bring him into the studios with Kenny Burrell and Leonard Gaskin.

And those who happened to see the Cry Baby movie feat. Johnny Depp will have heard Allen Tinney supplyng backing vocals and playing piano in the Jive Bombers' hit "Bad Boy".

 

Edited June 23, 2020 by Big Beat Steve

[sgcim]

3 hours ago, JSngry said:

What were Legge's health issues?

He died of a bleeding stomach ulcer. Very sad that he died so young. He was a swinging player with very clear ideas..

[JSngry]

I read about the ulcer, but that ws a bit after he came back hoe, right? Just wondering if he had an ongoing illness of some sort that forced him off the road.

I always enjoyed his playing, almost as much as I enjoyed his name!

[charlesp]

What is the correct pronunciation of "Legge"?

[jazztrain]

I checked recently and found something that said it was LEG (like an arm and a leg).

[AllenLowe]

what a brilliant pianist. A little wild and crazy. I wish I'd asked Bill Triglia about him. Btw there's a terrific interview with Tinney in some old issue of Cadence.

Edited June 24, 2020 by AllenLowe

[Justin V]

I bought an Al Tinney CD, co-led by his girlfriend, vocalist Peggy Farrell, years ago after a pre-concert talk about him in Buffalo.  The presentation featured snippets of his music as well, which may have been unreleased.  Here is a link to an article about the couple around the time of the album's release.  The article refers to another album they did together in the '80s.

Regarding Wade Legge, I enjoy what little I've heard of him but have never heard his work as a leader.  I haven't listened closely enough to the piano on the excellent Shafi Hadi session (speaking of relatively obscure, impressive Mingus sidemen!) to even hazard a guess at whether it is Wynton Kelly or Legge.  It is a shame that the recording details are so hazy.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Justin V

[hopkins]

His trio sessions were re-issued by Fresh Sound Records in 2016:

https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/wade-legge-albums/6418-wade-legge-trio-.html

The CD is available on some streaming services.

 

[JSngry]

Here ya' go;

[romualdo]

On 8/31/2024 at 5:04 AM, JSngry said:

Here ya' go;

https://www.discogs.com/release/19030078-Dizzy-Gillespie-Quintet-Joe-Carroll-Sarah-Vaughan-Wade-Legge-Trio-Dizzy-Gillespie-Dizzy-Digs-Paris-C

That Paris trio session was originally released on Vogue & Blue Note 10" LPs - Earlier that same month (Feb 53) the trio recorded 4 tracks for Modern with Lars Gullin (two have made it to CD)

https://www.discogs.com/master/1057741-Wade-Legge-Trio-Wade-Legge-Trio

https://www.discogs.com/release/14544802-Lars-Gullin-All-The-Things-You-Are-The-Squirrel

Edited September 1, 2024 by romualdo

[Gheorghe]

Is it possible that he is the pianist on "Sonny Rollins Plays for Bird"? 
I doubt I have other sources. 
I saw a pic of him I think in a Dizzy book, it seems that he was in one of those kind of reunion bands, I mean in the 50´s . Maybe those ONU world tours in the mid fifties. 

I must admit that my Diz-Discography, like other discographies has complete holes in it. Diz in the 50´s after Massey is missing, I may have one Diz CD from the 60´s with Lalo Schifrin, that my wife bought for me, so I have much 40´s Diz and some late 70/s early 80´s Diz. 

[felser]

6 minutes ago, Gheorghe said:

Is it possible that he is the pianist on "Sonny Rollins Plays for Bird"? 
 

Yes  he is.