WADE LEGGE TRIO - With Lou Hackney & Al Jones
Fresh Sounds Records FSR-CD 894
Tracks 1 to 4
Wade Legge ( pno ) Lou Hackney ( bass ) Al Jones ( drs )
Recorded Stockholm, 10 February 1953
Tracks 5 to 12
Recorded Paris, 27 February 1953
Track 13
Add Joe Carroll ( vocal ) & Bill Graham ( bar )
Recorded Paris, 28 February 1953
Tracks 14 & 15
Lars Gullin ( bar ) Wade Legge ( pno ) Lou Hackney ( bass ) Al Jones ( bass )
Recorded Stockholm, 3 February 1953
Tracks 16 to 19
Joe Roland Quintet
Joe Roland ( vibes ) Wade Legge ( pno ) Dante Martucci ( bass ) Ron Jefferson ( drs )
Recorded New York, 17 October 1954
Tracks 20 to 22
Bill Bradley Jnr. & his group
Phil Sunkel ( tpt ) Jr Monterose ( tnr ) Wade Legge ( pno ) Doug Watkins ( bass ) Bill Bradley Jnr.
( drs )
Recorded New York, 25 February 1955
Pianist Wade Legge had a short life and career passing away at the tender age of twenty seven, he was a talented pianist whose influences were Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. His big break came in 1952 when he was recommended to Dizzy Gillespie joining the band on bass but after two weeks took over the piano chair and stayed with the band for two years after which he mostly freelanced.
On tracks 1 to 15 the bass player and drummer also played on the Dizzy Gillespie tracks recorded in the same year at the Paris, Salle Pleyel as did Wade Legge
The Bud Powell influence is evident from the first track and particularly Bud Powell’s own composition “Dance of the Infidels” and although Wade Legge is not quite in the class there is enough to suggest he is a pianist of talent.
There is little evidence of Wade Legge’s ballad playing on this release “These Foolish Things” show him to be a rhapsodic player with a feeling for the melody. On “Sweet Sue, Just You” he is joined by baritone player and Joe Carroll the bop singer who were both on the Salle Pleyel recording and it’s acceptable bit of nonsense.
On the final two tracks the trio is joined by the baritone saxophonist Lars Gullin who shows is class and fund of ideas on “All The Things You Are”.
The four bonus tracks with the Joe Roland Quintet are all compositions by Wade Legge and show he was a writer of promise, “Spice” is a pleasant reflective composition. Joe Roland’s vibes playing is much in the style of Milt Jackson which is a high standard to set.
The final three tracks has Wade Legge with Will Bradley Jnr. And his group and are again all Wade Legge compositions. The little heard trumpet player Phil Sunkel is included as is Jr Mo nterose who both have outstanding solos on the second outing for “Spice”.
On the evidence of these recordings Wade Legge’s is a much more interesting pianist in the context of a group rather than the trio format and also shows him to be a composer of note.
The most interesting are the ones with the Bill Bradley Jnr. Group and the contributions of Phil Sunkel and Jr Monterose.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
Fresh Sounds Records FSR-CD 894
Tracks 1 to 4
Wade Legge ( pno ) Lou Hackney ( bass ) Al Jones ( drs )
Recorded Stockholm, 10 February 1953
Tracks 5 to 12
Recorded Paris, 27 February 1953
Track 13
Add Joe Carroll ( vocal ) & Bill Graham ( bar )
Recorded Paris, 28 February 1953
Tracks 14 & 15
Lars Gullin ( bar ) Wade Legge ( pno ) Lou Hackney ( bass ) Al Jones ( bass )
Recorded Stockholm, 3 February 1953
Tracks 16 to 19
Joe Roland Quintet
Joe Roland ( vibes ) Wade Legge ( pno ) Dante Martucci ( bass ) Ron Jefferson ( drs )
Recorded New York, 17 October 1954
Tracks 20 to 22
Bill Bradley Jnr. & his group
Phil Sunkel ( tpt ) Jr Monterose ( tnr ) Wade Legge ( pno ) Doug Watkins ( bass ) Bill Bradley Jnr.
( drs )
Recorded New York, 25 February 1955
Pianist Wade Legge had a short life and career passing away at the tender age of twenty seven, he was a talented pianist whose influences were Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. His big break came in 1952 when he was recommended to Dizzy Gillespie joining the band on bass but after two weeks took over the piano chair and stayed with the band for two years after which he mostly freelanced.
On tracks 1 to 15 the bass player and drummer also played on the Dizzy Gillespie tracks recorded in the same year at the Paris, Salle Pleyel as did Wade Legge
The Bud Powell influence is evident from the first track and particularly Bud Powell’s own composition “Dance of the Infidels” and although Wade Legge is not quite in the class there is enough to suggest he is a pianist of talent.
There is little evidence of Wade Legge’s ballad playing on this release “These Foolish Things” show him to be a rhapsodic player with a feeling for the melody. On “Sweet Sue, Just You” he is joined by baritone player and Joe Carroll the bop singer who were both on the Salle Pleyel recording and it’s acceptable bit of nonsense.
On the final two tracks the trio is joined by the baritone saxophonist Lars Gullin who shows is class and fund of ideas on “All The Things You Are”.
The four bonus tracks with the Joe Roland Quintet are all compositions by Wade Legge and show he was a writer of promise, “Spice” is a pleasant reflective composition. Joe Roland’s vibes playing is much in the style of Milt Jackson which is a high standard to set.
The final three tracks has Wade Legge with Will Bradley Jnr. And his group and are again all Wade Legge compositions. The little heard trumpet player Phil Sunkel is included as is Jr Mo nterose who both have outstanding solos on the second outing for “Spice”.
On the evidence of these recordings Wade Legge’s is a much more interesting pianist in the context of a group rather than the trio format and also shows him to be a composer of note.
The most interesting are the ones with the Bill Bradley Jnr. Group and the contributions of Phil Sunkel and Jr Monterose.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
