Spring Fever - Chuck Wayne

 

Love For Sale

Spring Fever

Chuck Wayne

Arranged and Conducted by Chuck Wayne

Produced and Directed by Bob Rolontz

Recorded July 22, 23 and 24, 1957, in RCA Victor Studio "A," New York City

Vik LX-1098

1958

Personnel:

What A Difference A Day Made, Embraceable You, Body And Soul, Along With Me, How About You

Guitar - Chuck Wayne

Tenor Sax - Caesar Di Mauro

Trumpet - Don Joseph

Drums - Jimmy Campbell

Bass - Clyde Lombardi

Vibes and Piano - Eddie Costa

Love For Sale, Lover Man

Guitar - Chuck Wayne

Tenor Sax - Caesar Di Mauro

Drums - Sonny Igoe

Alto Sax - Gene Quill

Trumpet - Don Joseph

Bass - Clyde Lombardi

Lullaby In Rhythm, Carmel, Rockabye Bay, Snuggled On Your Shoulder

Guitar - Chuck Wayne

Tenor Sax - Caesar Di Mauro, Eddie Wasserman, Sol Schlinger, Sam Marowitz

Trombone - Summer Clement Truitt

Trumpet - Thomas Parker Allison, Donald Frederick Joseph, Alvin Goldbert

Bass - Clyde Lombardi

Drums - Sonny Igoe

From the back cover: An A&R man is presumed to have no preferences concerning his artists. He is supposed to exercise a sort of judicial dispassion, helping his artists give forth their best efforts, but refusing to let himself be borne away by their style or technique or even the feeling invested in their work. But with Chuck Wayne these A&R ground rules have go be tossed out the window. For Chuck is more than another superior jazz musician, more than just another exciting guitarist. This isn't only because Chuck's technique and facility is at least equal to that of the top jazz guitar men performing today, or that his style is a style. But because it the depth and feeling – what in jazz parlance is called "soul" – that Chuck brings to his work there is a quality, which, fragile and indefinable as it may be, is possessed by all musicians who earn a lasting place in the jazz world. Flashes of that quality can be heard on many of Chuck's solos in this album. This is Chuck Wayne's first solo album – with Vik or any other company. For it Chuck selected and arranged all of the selections, conducted all of the dates, and played the majority of solos. In this respect he many have overreached himself. For it is hard enough to preform well on a solo jazz album, without talking on all of the other chores. (Chuck even wrote the only original tune in the set, a swinging' thing called Carmel). But in spite of all his extra work, Chuck gives an exciting picture of himself on this set, of his approach to jazz, to tunes, to his guitar.

Chuch Wayne's background encompasses stints with the late Clarence Profit, Nat Jaffee, Joe Marsala and the Third Woody Herman Herd. He has been a member of the Phil Moore Four, The Barbara Carroll Trio and the George Shearing Quintet. From 1954 to 1956 he toured the country as accompanist to Tony Bennett. Chuck was the guitarist who sat in front of the club ork on a bar stool and played those wonderful backgrounds for the versatile Tony. In 1956 he became involved with the short-run Tennessee Williams' play "Orpheus Descending" for which he composed the background music and was the solo musical performer. At present he is leading his own combo in jazz clubs and boîtes in the East.

All facets of Chuck's work are on display here: his swinging approach to modern jazz on Lullaby In Rhythm, How About You, What A Difference A Day Made, Along With Me and his own Carmel; his driving beat on Love For Sale and Snuggled On Your Shoulder; and his warm, intimate style on Lover Man, Embraceable You and Rockabye Bay. Perhaps his most haunting and fully satisfying performance is his solo, with just bass and drums backing, on Body And Soul.

Chuck has allowed much room for solos by the musicians who backed him on these recordings. Don Joseph's trumpet solos on Embraceable You and Lover Man are outstanding, Eddie Costa does some fine piano work on Along With Me and What A Difference A Day Made, and Caesar Di Mauro on tenor and Gene Quill on alto sax get chances on many of the selections.  – Bob Rolontz (Bob Rolontz handles jazz recordings for Vik Records).

Lullaby In Rhythm

Embraceable You

Love For Sale

Along With Me

Carmel

Body And Soul

Snuggled On Your Shoulder

How About You

What A Difference A Day Made

Rockabye Bay