Frank Wess

NEA Jazz Master Frank Wess and the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra conducted by James Burton III will be performing the music of Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie on Tuesday, Mat 1st through Sunday, May 6th at Dizzy's in New York. The Juilliard Jazz Orchestra features Jordan Pettay, Andrew Olson, alto saxophones; Morgan Jones, Chase Baird, Frank Wess, tenor saxophones; Adison Evans, baritone saxophone; Joseph Boga, trumpet; Riley Mulherkar, Gabriel Medd, Alphonso Horne, trumpets; Enrique Sanchez, trumpet; Joseph McDonough, trombone; Nicholas Finzer, Andrew Clausen, Javier Nero, trombones; Alex Wintz, guitar; Samora Pinderhughes, piano; David Baron, bass; and Carmen Intorre, drums.

A multi-instrumentalist whose inspired solos have kept bigband jazz fresh and vital into the present, Frank Wess is revered as a smoothly swinging tenor saxophone player in the Lester Young tradition, as an expert alto saxophonist, and as one of the most influential, instantly recognizable flutists in jazz history.

A multi -instrumentalist whose inspired solos have kept bigband jazz fresh and vital into the present, Frank Wess is revered as a smoothly swinging tenor saxophone player in the Lester Young tradition, as an expert alto saxophonist, and as one of the most influential, instantly recognizable flutists in jazz history.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Wess first studied classical music and played with the Kansas All-State High School Orchestra. After moving to Washington, DC as a teenager in 1935, he began to play jazz in lunchtime jam sessions with fellow students, including Billy Taylor. An early touring career was interrupted by military service -- he played in a 17-piece band during World War II -- and then was resumed when Wess came out of the Army and joined an outstanding lineup in the Billy Eckstine Orchestra. It was at this time that he took up the flute, studying at the Modern School of Music in Washington.

All this time, Count Basie had been calling. Wess finally joined his big band in 1953, helping it to evolve during its so-called "New Testament" phase and remaining with it until 1964. Wess's flute playing, set off by Neal Hefti's arrangements, contributed strongly to theBasie Orchestra's new sound, while his tenor saxophone playing served as a counterpoint to the more fiery sound of Frank Foster.

Wess has played since the 1960s in countless settings: with Clark Terry's big band, the New York Quartet with Roland Hanna, Dameronia (1981-85), and Toshiko Akiyoshi's Jazz Orchestra. During this period, he also bridged the worlds of jazz and popular show business. Wess performed as a staff musician for ABC Television, both for the Dick Cavett Show and for the David Frost Show (with the Billy Taylor Orchestra). In Broadway pit bands, he played for shows such as Golden Boy (starring Sammy Davis), Irene (with Debbie Reynolds), and Sugar Babies (with Mickey Rooney). For ten years, he played first-chair tenor saxophonist in the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band.

He has also led his own big bands on world tours, and has played recently in the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Big Band. Widely recorded on many labels, both as a leader and a sideman, Wess is a perennial favorite in DownBeat polls and a now-legendary presence on the jazz scene.

In the late 80s and early 90s he led a fantastic Basie-style big band which made highly successful appearances in Japan. The big band included ex-Basie alumni Harry “Sweets” Edison, Joe Newman, Snooky Young, Al Grey, Benny Powell, Marshal Royal and Billy Mitchell. The recordings made by this band “Dear Mr Basie” and “Entre Nous” showed that Frank Wess had ably assumed the role of big band leader and arranger in the Basie tradition.

In 2007 he received the American Jazz Masters Fellowship award from The National Endowment For The Arts. Today, at age 85, Frank is still an active and highly respected member of the New York Jazz scene and travels the world to play with musicians everywhere.

Dizzy's is located at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center Broadway at 60th Street, on the 5th Floor. For Reservations Call: 212 258-9595 or -9795. Seating is available on a first-come first-served basis either at tables or at the bar. For more information, visit: www.jalc.org/dccc

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