BUDDY TATE - Texas Tenor
Sackville 3027
Buddy Tate ( tnr / clt ) Wray Downes ( pno ) Dave Young ( bass ) Pete Magadini ( drs )
Recorded 16th July 1978
This is a straight re-release of the original album but includes two bonus tracks from the same session, “Isfahan” and “Lullaby of the Leaves” and are a welcome addition.
Buddy Tate is one of those big toned tenor players who worked with in the Count Basie Orchestra having had the call to replace Herschel Evans who he had previously worked alongside in the Troy Floyd band. He has worked with many of the top mainstream players including Buck Clayton and Coleman Hawkins as well as leading his own Celebrity Club Orchestra.
His backing trio on this album have been a working unit in Canada for some time during the period of this recording. Pianist Wray Downes attended Trinity College in London and Paris Conservatory after which he studied harmony with Dizzy Gillespie. He worked in Europe till 1956 and toured with many leading American musicians.
Bassist Dave Young is probably best known from working and recording with fellow Canadian Oscar Peterson. Drummer Pete Magadini was born in the United States but worked and played in Canada from 1971 to 1997 before retuning to reside and work in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The album opens with a hard driving “June Night” apart from Buddy Tate’s robust tenor Wray Downes free flowing solo is a gem. It’s Wray Downes’ fluent solo which takes the honours on “Someday Sweetheart” but that’s not to discount Buddy Tate’s hard hitting tenor contribution.
Tadd Dameron’s ballad “If You Could See Me Now” is treated to a beautiful rendition with both Buddy Tate and Wray Downes making a telling contribution to the performance.
Buddy Tate moves on to the clarinet for “Georgia n my Mind” which is given the down home treatment, Wray Downes solo is full of block chords which leads on to some majestic clarinet playing and nicely gauged bass solo from Dave Young.
Duke Ellington and Billy Stray horn’s “Isfahan” is treated with respect and Buddy Tate’s breathy tenor fit’s the mood of the piece. Buddy Tate takes up his clarinet again for the final track of the album “Lullaby of the Leaves” and it’s a fitting end to a thoroughly enjoyable album.
Pete Magadini’s contribution is supportive whilst encouraging the soloists to some fine solos, in act the whole rhythm section works particular well as a team.
We are lucky that this type of tenor playing is being kept alive by players such as Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen to name but two. The whole album is a success with not one below par track, highly recommended.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
Sackville 3027
Buddy Tate ( tnr / clt ) Wray Downes ( pno ) Dave Young ( bass ) Pete Magadini ( drs )
Recorded 16th July 1978
This is a straight re-release of the original album but includes two bonus tracks from the same session, “Isfahan” and “Lullaby of the Leaves” and are a welcome addition.
Buddy Tate is one of those big toned tenor players who worked with in the Count Basie Orchestra having had the call to replace Herschel Evans who he had previously worked alongside in the Troy Floyd band. He has worked with many of the top mainstream players including Buck Clayton and Coleman Hawkins as well as leading his own Celebrity Club Orchestra.
His backing trio on this album have been a working unit in Canada for some time during the period of this recording. Pianist Wray Downes attended Trinity College in London and Paris Conservatory after which he studied harmony with Dizzy Gillespie. He worked in Europe till 1956 and toured with many leading American musicians.
Bassist Dave Young is probably best known from working and recording with fellow Canadian Oscar Peterson. Drummer Pete Magadini was born in the United States but worked and played in Canada from 1971 to 1997 before retuning to reside and work in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The album opens with a hard driving “June Night” apart from Buddy Tate’s robust tenor Wray Downes free flowing solo is a gem. It’s Wray Downes’ fluent solo which takes the honours on “Someday Sweetheart” but that’s not to discount Buddy Tate’s hard hitting tenor contribution.
Tadd Dameron’s ballad “If You Could See Me Now” is treated to a beautiful rendition with both Buddy Tate and Wray Downes making a telling contribution to the performance.
Buddy Tate moves on to the clarinet for “Georgia n my Mind” which is given the down home treatment, Wray Downes solo is full of block chords which leads on to some majestic clarinet playing and nicely gauged bass solo from Dave Young.
Duke Ellington and Billy Stray horn’s “Isfahan” is treated with respect and Buddy Tate’s breathy tenor fit’s the mood of the piece. Buddy Tate takes up his clarinet again for the final track of the album “Lullaby of the Leaves” and it’s a fitting end to a thoroughly enjoyable album.
Pete Magadini’s contribution is supportive whilst encouraging the soloists to some fine solos, in act the whole rhythm section works particular well as a team.
We are lucky that this type of tenor playing is being kept alive by players such as Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen to name but two. The whole album is a success with not one below par track, highly recommended.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
