change is possible

going back a good way now.  i think this has been floating around the internet for awhile, and with good reason.  as ‘doinker’ said in the seed on dime… “an absolute must-have gem w/chet baker, count basie and others’.  it really was a great loss when wardell gray died at just 34 years old.  rip.

there’s a great website on mr. gray, that’s worth a visit also:
wardellgray.org

[update 29 nov 2016:  see comments for improved setlist details.  updates to this posting & to the covers to follow.]

wardell gray – jams 1951-52

count basie orchestra
featuring wardell gray on saxaphone
birdland, new york city
broadcast 28 april 1951

01 jumping at the woodside 2:50
02 how high the moon 8:24
03 lady be good 3:04
04 golden bullet 4:56
05 one o’clock jump 3:55
06 good bait 2:28
07 the king 3:36
08 spasmodic 2:29
09 far cry 3:29

jam session
trade winds
inglewood, california
24 march 1952

10 out of nowhere 16:23
11 strike up the band 8:40 *
12 pennies from heaven 8:41 *

* not featuring wardell gray

lineup:
tracks 1-9: count basie’s band, lineup unknown.
track 10: tenor: wardell gray; tenor: dave pell; alto: sonny criss; trumpet: chet baker; bass: bobby whitlock; piano: jerry mandell; drums: lawrence marable; cello: harry babison
tracks 11 & 12: valve trombone: bob enevoldson; trombone: milt bernhart; piano: marty paich; tenor: jack montrose; drums: larry bunker; bass: unknown

lineage birdland: boot lp “featuring wardell gray” (ozone 6) ->technics sl1200mkii ->echo layla 3g ->sound forge 6.0 ->click and crackle reduction ->audio restoration suite (no nr). left and right channels were combined at 50% each into a single track, then the track was split at 100% for two channels. this is a mono, two-channel recording.

lineage trade winds: boot lp “jam session record no. 103” (js-103-a/b) ->technics sl1200mkii ->echo layla 3g ->sound forge 6.0 ->click and crackle reduction ->audio restoration suite (no nr). left and right channels were combined at 50% each into a single track, then the track was split at 100% for two channels. this is a mono, two-channel recording.
assuming there’s no phase shift or other issue between the two channels, combining then splitting them again can produce a much cleaner sound. i’d recommend you test it first to see if it works on your particular set.

enjoy! a doinkertape

seeder’s comments:

wardell gray was one of the rising stars of post-war jazz, until his life was cut short at 34 under mysterious circumstances in las vegas. he would be much better known today had more recordings existed of him. he was a featured player with earl hines, count basie, and benny goodman and was a friend and frequent player with dexter gordon. his style was strong, powerful, and most importantly it was relaxed. this is not big-band music, but it does derive from it.

the early 1950’s was a wonderful time for jazz, particularly if you lived in a big city. it was a time when you could walk into a small club and hear the likes of miles davis, charlie parker, chet baker, dizzy gillespie and others. in one respect it paralled the very early days of the modern rock movement, circa 1967. none of these people were stars to the extent that they are today and you could see them in small group settings in an intimate atmosphere. although 52nd street in new york was the epicenter of the small-group movement, you could find it in many other large cities.

this torrent consists of two completely different sets of circumstances, which somehow fit together perfectly. the first part is a radio broadcast from april 28, 1951 at birdland. it’s of count basie’s group in a small setting, featuring mr. gray blowing on the following tracks [tracks 1-9]. the second part is a jam session at “trade winds” in inglewood, california on march 24, 1952 [tracks 10-12].

sample: 10 out of nowhere.mp3
download: WardellGray_Jams_1951-52.zip