Frank Wess: Savoy & Prestige Collection (4 CDs)

A jazz saxophonist and flautist held in high regard by his contemporaries, his peers and his followers, Frank Wess remains revered for his exceptional musical skills and his compositional talent in equal measures. Remembered best for his work with Count Basie's band between the early 1950s and the early 1960s, Wess was also a consummate band leader in his own right, as was amply displayed on the many albums issued under his own name, most notably in the late 50s and early 60s. This 4CD boxset highlights some of Frank Wess's most notable work as bandleader and collaborator, demonstrating his ample skill at composition, saxophone, and as a pioneering jazz flautist. Featuring eight albums from his most acclaimed era, this CD collection serves as both a fine starting point for those new to the great man's music, and as a reminder of his huge musical prowess for everyone else.



- Disc 1 -
1 Shorty George
2 Bouncing with Boots
3 That's a Woman
4 Doin' the Thing
5 Blues in a Cold Water Flat
6 Stereophonic
7 What'd Ya Say
8 Dill Pickles
9 Dancing on the Ceiling
10 Hard Sock Dance
11 Salvation
12 Lazy Sal

- Disc 2 -
1 Kansas City Side
2 Southern Exposure
3 Over the Rainbow
4 Wess Side
5 East Wind
6 Playboy
7 Miss Blues
8 Baubles, Bangles and Beads
9 Low Life
10 Pin Up
11 Blues for a Playmate

- Disc 3 -
1 I Hear Ya Talkin'
2 Liz
3 Boop-Pe-Doop
4 Opus de Blues
5 Struttin' Down Broadway
6 It's So Peaceful in the Country
7 Rainy Afternoon
8 Star Eyes
9 Stella By Starlight
10 But Beautiful
11 Gone with the Wind
12 I See Your Face Before Me

- Disc 4 -
1 Southern Comfort
2 Blue Skies
3 Gin's Beguine
4 Blues for Butterball
5 Summer Frost
6 Dancing in the Dark
7 Shufflin'
8 The Lizard
9 Little Me
10 Yo-Ho
11 Cold Miner
12 Poor You
13 The Long Road