Frank Wess

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Frank Wess

Frank Wess (left) and Jimmy Owens (1977)
Background information
Born January 4, 1922
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Died October 30, 2013 (aged 91)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Genres Jazz
Occupations Musician
Instruments Tenor saxophone
Alto Saxophone
Flute
Years active 1950s 2013
Frank Wellington Wess (January 4, 1922 October 30, 2013) was an
American jazz saxophonist and flautist.
Contents
[hide]
1 Biography
2 Discography
o 2.1 As leader
o 2.2 As sideman
3 References
4 External links
Biography[edit]
Wess was born in Kansas City, MO, the son of a principal father and a schoolteacher mother. He
began with classical music training and played in Oklahoma in high school. He later switched to
jazz on moving to Washington, D. C. and by nineteen was working with Big Bands. His career
was interrupted during World War II although he did play with a military band in the period. After
leaving the military, he joined Billy Eckstine's orchestra.
[1]
He returned to Washington DC a few
years afterwards and received a degree in flute at the city's Modern School Of Music. From 1953
he joined Count Basie's band, playing flute and tenor sax. He reverted to alto sax in the late '50s,
and left Basie's band in 1964. From 1959 to 1964 he won Down Beat's critic poll for flute.
He was a member of Clark Terry's big band from 1967 into the 1970s and played in the New
York Jazz Quartet (with Roland Hanna).
[2]
He also did a variety of work for TV.
[3]
In 1968 Wess
contributed to the landmark album The Jazz Composer's Orchestra.
In the 1980s and 1990s, he worked with Kenny Barron, Rufus Reid, Buck Clayton, Benny
Carter, Billy Taylor, Harry Edison, Mel Torm, Ernestine Anderson, Louie Bellson, John
Pizzarelli,Howard Alden, Dick Hyman, Jane Jarvis, Frank Vignola and was a featured member of
the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. In the 2000s, Wess released two albums with Hank Jones.
In 2007, Wess was named an NEA Jazz Master by the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts.
Frank Wess died from a heart attack related to kidney failure on October 30, 2013.
[4][5]

Discography[edit]
As leader[edit]
Jazz for Playboys (Savoy, 1957)
Wheelin' & Dealin' (Prestige, 1957)
Opus De Blues (Savoy, 1959)
The Frank Wess Quartet (Moodsville, 1960)
Southern Comfort (Prestige, 1962)
Yo Ho! Poor You, Little Me (Prestige, 1963)
Wess to Memphis (1970)
Flute of the Loom (1973)
Two for the Blues (1983)
Two at the Top (Uptown, 1983)
Entre Nous (Concord. 1990)
Going Wess (1993)
Tryin' To Make My Blues Turn Green (Concord, 1994)
Hank and Frank (2002)
Hank and Frank II (2009)
Magic 101 (IPO, 2013)
As sideman[edit]
With Toshiko Akiyoshi
Carnegie Hall Concert
With Gene Ammons
Velvet Soul (Prestige, 1960 [1964])
Angel Eyes (Prestige, 1960 [1965])
With Dorothy Ashby
The Jazz Harpist (Regent, 1957)
In a Minor Groove (New Jazz, 1958)
Hip Harp (Prestige, 1958)
With Count Basie
One O'Clock Jump (1957)
E=MC (1957)
April in Paris (1957)
Ella and Basie! (1963)
First Time! The Count Meets the Duke (1961)
With Bobby Hutcherson
Conception: The Gift of Love (Columbia, 1979)
With Milt Jackson
Meet Milt Jackson (Savoy, 1955)
Opus de Jazz (Savoy, 1955)
Bags & Flutes (Atlantic, 1957)
With Elvin Jones
Elvin! (Riverside, 196162)
And Then Again (Atlantic, 1965)
Time Capsule (Vanguard, 1977)
With Thad Jones
Olio (Prestige, 1957)
After Hours (Prestige, 1957)
With Yusef Lateef
Part of the Search (Atlantic, 1973)
With Arif Mardin
Journey (Atlantic, 1974)
With Charles McPherson
Today's Man (Mainstream, 1973)
With Oliver Nelson
The Spirit of '67 with Pee Wee Russell (Impulse!, 1967)
With Chico O'Farrill
Nine Flags (Impulse!, 1966)
With Houston Person
Sweet Buns & Barbeque (Prestige, 1972)
With Woody Shaw
Rosewood (Columbia, 1977)
With Zoot Sims
Passion Flower: Zoot Sims Plays Duke Ellington (1979)
[6]

With Melvin Sparks
Akilah! (Prestige, 1972)
With Leon Spencer
Where I'm Coming From (Prestige, 1973)
With Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor with Four Flutes (Riverside, 1959)
Kwamina (Mercury, 1961)