Requisites
Wheelin’ & Dealin’ ~ Frank Wess, John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette, Mal Waldron, Doug Watkins and Arthur Taylor | By Eddie Carter
This morning’s album from the library is an excellent 1957 jam session by Frank Wess, John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette, Mal Waldron, Doug Watkins and Arthur Taylor. Wheelin’ & Dealin’ (Prestige PRLP 7131) is an outstanding album featuring an impressive team of musicians. The ensemble consists of John Coltrane and Paul Quinichette on tenor saxophones, Frank Wess on flute (tracks: A1, B1, B2) and tenor saxophone (track: A2), Mal Waldron on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Arthur Taylor on drums. The copy of this album that I own is the 2025 Worldwide Stereo audiophile reissue (Craft Recordings CR00862).
The album opens with Things Ain’t What They Used To Be by Mercer Ellington and Ted Parsons. Frank’s flute sets a welcoming tone for the sextet’s laid-back melody before moving into a relaxing first solo. Paul soars with graceful ease, then John follows him effortlessly with a mellow reading, then the saxophones revisit the sequence. Mal responds with a breezy interpretation, and Doug takes a quick walk, leading to the closing chorus. Wheelin’ by Mal Waldron takes off with the ensemble’s spirited theme. Coltrane leads the way with an energetic statement. Quinichette lets loose next, then Wess wails on the tenor saxophone. Waldron delivers a lengthy, vigorous performance. Taylor adds a brief footnote that leads to the ensemble reprising the theme and a rousing finish.
Side Two opens with Robbins’ Nest by Illinois Jacquet, Bob Russell, and Sir Charles Thompson, a tribute to DJ Fred Robbins. Frank, returning on flute, gently guides the ensemble through the melody, then enters like a cool breeze for the first solo. Paul then offers some down-home cooking; John makes every note count in a relaxed interpretation. Mal then keeps the mood easygoing, and Doug takes a brief walk before the closing ensemble. Mal Waldron’s Dealin’ starts with the sextet’s collective melody; Waldron leads with an inviting opening solo. Wess, on flute, produces a warm, fluid sound. Quinichette steps in for a few relaxing choruses, then Coltrane flows with fresh, creative ideas. Wess makes a short return on tenor sax, and Waldron has the last word before the group reunites to close the set.
The dynamic combination of Coltrane and Quinichette on tenor saxophones infuses the sextet with vibrant energy, establishing an engaging lead voice for the group. Coltrane, poised on the threshold of stardom, plays with deep emotion and a sense of adventurousness, while Quinichette’s silky, relaxed approach pays homage to Lester Young’s signature sound. Frank Wess further elevates the ensemble’s texture, seamlessly alternating between flute and tenor sax; his flute contributions, in particular, bring a light, breezy quality to the arrangements. Supporting them, the rhythm section of Waldron, Watkins, and Taylor lays down a consistent, swinging foundation, artfully mixing delicacy with spirited drive to enhance each soloist’s performance throughout the album.
Bob Weinstock supervised the first session, and Rudy Van Gelder was at the recording console. Kevin Gray did an excellent job mastering this audiophile reissue from the original tapes at Cohearant Audio. The sound quality truly shines, offering a spacious soundstage and vibrant clarity that makes you feel like the musicians are right in front of you. The record is pressed on 180-gram Virgin Vinyl and is silent until the music begins. If you’re craving a fantastic Hard-Bop album, I highly recommend checking out Wheelin’ & Dealin’ by Frank Wess, John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette, Mal Waldron, Doug Watkins, and Arthur Taylor on your next record-shopping trip. It’s an outstanding album by the talented group that later became The Prestige All-Stars, and I believe it will become a beloved favorite in the libraries of both new and seasoned jazz fans for many years to come!
Things Ain’t What They Used To Be – Source: JazzStandards.com © 2025 by Edward Thomas Carter
Wheelin’ & Dealin’: 1957 | Frank Wess, John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette, Mal Waldron, Doug Watkins, Arthur Taylor
For the serious collector of jazz… #Jazz #Classic #Collectible #Music #Notorious
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The Jazz Voyager
Leaving Miami for the cold climes of our nation’s capital and heading to my old stomping grounds that have been gentrified and transformed into a multicultural hangout. The laction is U Street, the venue is JoJo Restaurant & Bar. This is where the Jazz Voyager will be spending an evening dining on calamari and grilled vegetables while taking in some great jazz.
On tap for this week’s adventure in jazz is the Tedd Baker Trio who is bringing his trio to the stage. The Boston native has been playing professionally since he was a teenager around the city before venturing out. He has worked with a host of musicians such as Barry Harris, David Sanborn, Arturo Sandoval, Slide Hampton, Eddie Daniels, George Duke, Victor Lewis, Orrin Evans, Jason Moran, Wycliffe Gordon, and Kurt Elling.
JoJo Restaurant & Bar is located at 1518 U Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. For more information visit https://www.jojodc.com.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ze Luis was born José Luis Segneri Oliveira was born December 17, 1957 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and as a child lived next to Antonio Carlos Jobim in the historic Ipanema neighborhood. Early on Oliveira began playing flute and he graduated from Pro-Art Conservatoire in flute and traditional harmony in 1975. Two years later he continued his studies in Performance Arts at Villa-Lobos Institute and soon after studied with renowned Brazilian saxophonist and clarinet player Paulo Moura.
The mid-70s saw him becoming heavily influenced by the album Native Dancer, a collaboration between Wayne Shorter and Milton Nascimento. He was also drawn to the music of Ian Anderson, leader and flutist of the British band Jethro Tull.
Zé’s first professional engagement began with Brazilian vocalists Ney Matogrosso and Luiz Melodia. Oliveira met pianist Tomás Improta while working with Brazilian actress and singer Zezé Motta, who at that time was working with emerging Caetano Veloso and recorded on his album and eventually joined Veloso’s newly formed band.
During this time Oliveira worked extensively with Gilberto Gil, The Wailers, Chico & Caetano on Globo TV and played with Chico Buarque, Rita Lee, Milton Nascimento, João Bosco, Elza Soares, and Mercedes Sosa.
He moved to New York City in 1990 and began studying with saxophonists Joe Lovano and Ted Nash at New York University. In 2004, Oliveira received his Masters in Composition and Arranging from the Juilliard School. His career includes multiple Grammy Award nominations.
Throughout the 1990s, Oliveira continued to record and perform with hundreds of artists from different genres, composed and performed for choreographer and dancer Patricia Hoffbauer and became a part of the New York Samba Band with Duduka da Fonseca, Romero Lubambo, Cyro Baptista and Nilson Matta.
Saxophonist and flutist Zé Luis Oliveira is the current producer of Just Play, a traveling improvisational music series and global storytelling project.
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EITHER/ORCHESTRA
In the decades since the Either/Orchestra debuted on December 17, 1985 at the Cambridge MA Public Library, the group has made over 1000 performances in 38 of the United States and 12 foreign countries, as well as releasing a dozen albums and being nominated for a Grammy, winning five Boston Music awards and numerous Downbeat Critics Poll placements, among many other honors. From prestigious festivals like Glastonbury Pop and Chicago Jazz to tiny clubs, schools and churches in out of the way places, the group has been “dependably marvelous,” according to the Village Voice.
No obstacles deterred leader Russ Gershon and his intrepid musical explorers from visiting new musical worlds – until the Covid pandemic. The band’s most recent performance was in December of 2019 at Tufts U., with one of their distinguished Ethiopian collaborators, vocalist Teshome Mitiku. But now, they’re coming back!
To celebrate the exact 40th anniversary of their first show, the Either/Orchestra returns to the stage not a mile from where they started. The E/O began playing the Regattabar when the club was band new in the ’90’s. There is no better and more appropriate venue for them to inaugurate their fifth decade.
The E/O will be making selections from their vast catalog of originals and original arrangements of classic and obscure jazz, as well as dipping into their unparalleled repertoire of Ethiopian music in honor of their upcoming release, éthiopiques 32: Nalbandian the Ethiopian.
Their second release on the legendary éthiopiques series features music by Nerses Nalbandian, a teenage refugee of the Armenian genocide who rose to become music director of Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie’s National Theater in Addis Ababa. Nalbandian’s interest in American music helped set the stage for the birth of the modern Ethiopian pop music which has bewitched music aficionados the world over the past couple of decades. His music has seldom been played since the totalitarian revolution which deposed Haile Selassie in 1974, and the E/O was asked by the Nalbandian family and éthiopiques producer Frances Falceto to reconstruct and play it at the National Theater of Ethiopia. The album is a record of that labor of love.
E/O personnel:
Tom Halter | trumpet
Dan Rosenthal | trumpet
Joel Yennior | trombone
Sam Spear | alto sax
Russ Gershon | tenor sax
Charlie Kohlhase | baritone sax
Alexei Tsiganov | piano
Rick McLaughlin | bass
Brooke Sofferman | drums
Vicente Lebron | congas
Cover: Sold Out
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TEDD BAKER TRIO
Tedd Baker has worked with a wide variety of jazz greats and contemporary artists including Barry Harris, David Sanborn, Arturo Sandoval, Slide Hampton, Eddie Daniels, George Duke, Victor Lewis, Orrin Evans, Jason Moran, Wycliffe Gordon, Kurt Elling, Allison Miller, Fitz and The Tantrums, Sean Jones, Michael Mossman, Warren Wolf, 8-Bit Big Band, Ryles Jazz Orchestra w Jon Faddis, Artie Shaw Orchestra, and Donny McCaslin among others. He has also recorded with David Sanborn, Bobby Caldwell (“After Dark”), New York Voices (“Let It Snow”), Bohemian Caverns All-Stars, Amina Figarova Sextet, and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra under the direction of David Baker.
He began playing professionally around Boston’s Back Bay, North End, and downtown in his teens. In 2000 he won the Hilton Head Jazz Society Competition and led a quartet of past awardees. In 2001 he toured 8 weeks in South America, Central America, and Jamaica for the State Department Jazz Ambassador Program as part of the Richard Johnson trio. In 2002 he joined the Airmen of Note, USAF Premier Band, Washington, D.C. and has been featured on many of the “Note’s” performances and recordings.
Dining & Jazz Cover: $10.00 per person
Bar & Jazz: No Cover
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