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Frank Wess: Magic 101

By Dan Bilawsky
July 22, 2013
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Most musicians can't escape the ravages of time, but a select few seem to have taken a sip from the musical fountain of youth. The late

Hank Jones

piano
1918 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Hank Jones, for example, played with brilliance and class until the day he died at the age of 91, and octogenarian drummer

" data-original-title="" title="">Roy Haynes continues to snap and crackle in all the right places, demonstrating unmatched originality and agility as he approaches the big nine-o. Saxophonist/flautist

Frank Wess

saxophone, tenor
1922 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Wess is another such figure. Wess, who made an indelible impression on the music during his tenure with the great

Count Basie

piano
1904 - 1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Count Basie and went on to record with everybody from composer/arranger/saxophonist

Oliver Nelson

saxophone
1932 - 1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Oliver Nelson to Jones, is a living jazz legend. His legacy is written in the grooves of numerous classic recordings and, like Haynes and Jones, he refuses to let a number like his age dictate anything; Magic 101, recorded in 2011 when Wess was 89 years young, makes that clear.

This seven-song program, featuring a polished quartet that includes pianist

Kenny Barron

piano
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Barron, bassist

Kenny Davis

bass
b.1961

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Davis and drummer

Winard Harper

drums
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Winard Harper, is unique for its balladic leanings and lack of flute; the elder statesman of that instrument doesn't touch it once here. Wess, instead, sticks exclusively to his tenor, while exploring the slower side of jazz.

The program begins with a swinging "Say It Isn't So," but immediately takes a turn toward the reflective with "The Very Thought Of You," which serves as the start of the ballad run. Two duets with Barron—Wess' own "Pretty Lady" and a "Come Rain Or Come Shine," that's coated with a bluesy patina—follow before the full personnel returns for a slow, twilit "Easy Living."

The slow-and-sly "Blue Monk" that follows brings sturdy swing back into the picture, but its appearance is fleeting. The album ends with a solo saxophone take on Ellington's "All Too Soon." Wess works his way into the very heart and soul of the song, demonstrating a grasp on the art of musical alone time that few will ever possess.

Magic 101 is a top-to-bottom charmer; here's to hoping that Wess stay around for a while longer and continues to make music like this.

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Track Listing

Say It Isn��t So; The Very Thought of You; Pretty Lady; Come Rain or Come Shine; Easy Living; Blue Monk; All Too Soon.

Personnel

Frank Wess

saxophone, tenor

Frank Wess: tenor saxophone, flute; Kenny Barron: piano; Kenny Davis: bass; Winard Harper: drums.

Album information

Title: Magic 101 | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: IPO Recordings

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