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Saturday, June 28, 2025

Brew Moore

 

Dues Blues

Brew Moore
Photograph: Weiss/Schill
Fantasy 3264 (OJC-049 / F-3-264)
1983

All tunes except: "Dues Blues" – Brew Moore and Harold Wylie, Saxophones; John Markham, Drums; John Moshner, Bass: John Marabuto, piano. "Due Blues" – Brew Moore, Tenor Saxophone; Cal Tjader, Vibes; Bobby White, Drums; Dean Reilly, bass; Vince Guaraldi, Piano

From the back cover: For most of the past two years the best Sunday afternoon sessions in San Francisco have taken place at The Tropics, a corner bar out "in the Avenues" on the way to the Pacific ocean.

Prime feature of these Sunday sessions has been the two tenor team of Brew Moore and Harold Wylie. Any Sunday afternoon you would be likely to find a voting majority of the jazz musicians, travelling and local, who are currently in the Bay Area in attendance paying their homage to Brew and Harold at The Tropics.

The session was held on election day, which in California as in other states, is an unnaturally dry period. However, aided by two cases of ale from a neighboring connection, the session got under way. The three basic elements of this LP are the three basic elements of the Tropics sessions: blues, ballads and swing. The contrasts and the similarities—in the tenor styles of Brew and Harold make interesting listening, especially on their treatment of the ballad.

Of the tunes, "Edison's Lamp" is a product of the pen of John Coppola, stalwart trumpeter with Herman, Kenton, May and many other big bands. It is constructed from a series of quotes from "Septem- ber in the Rain" made by Harry Edison on an LP some time ago. "Nancy With the Laughing Face" is Jimmy Van Heusen and Phil Silvers' lovely ballad and it is no coincidence that Brew Moore's wife is named Nancy, too; "Rhode Island Red" is a tune by pianist John Marabuto, it's named after a character on the San Francisco children's tv show, "Fireman Frank" (the youngest member of Marabuto's family is a steady viewer); it's supposed "to have a Western flavor," Marabuto says; "Marna Moves" is Brew's own tune for his daughter; "Dues Blues" is a traditional San Francisco blues number, played by all the bands locally, "Pat's Batch" is named for KROW disc jockey Patrick Henry and refers to his growing reputation as a braumeister which may one day overshadow his reputation for segueing records in the same key.

Brew Moore is the doyen of tenor saxophonists in San Francisco and something of a legend among the local jazzmen. This is his second Fantasy LP under his own name and he is also heard on Fantasy 3211 and 3250 with Cal Tjader. A native of Mississippi, Brew has played with most of the great names of modern jazz in New York and elsewhere before settling in San Francisco early in the 1950s. Since then he has led his own group, as well as appearing as featured soloist at The Black Hawk, The Cellar and the Jazz Workshop.

Harold Wylie is 27, a native of San Francisco and the only musician in his family. He first studied the saxophone and clarinet in high school and has played with Woody Herman as well as with numerous local combos. In an unusually penetrating insight into the psychology of jazzmen, Wylie says, "The main reason I play is because I have to play and that's as much as I can understand about it." Harold Wylie is another one of San Francisco's jazz and yachting enthusiasts. He spends every possible moment aboard his 23-foot sloop called "Ool-ya-koo."

John Markham (one of the three John M's on the date, Brew points out) has held down the drum chair with such bands as Charlie Barnet and Stan Kenton and in recent years has been the house drum- mer at KGO-TV in San Francisco. A superlative big band drummer, he functions equally as well in a small group and his drumming has been an integral part of the Sunday sessions at the Tropics for some time.

John Marabuto is a composer as well as a pianist. A native of Oakland, he has worked locally with almost all the good jazz groups including Brew's own group, and like Markham, Wylie and Mosher, is a sometime player with the Rudy Salvini big band. His favorite pianist at the moment is Hank Jones and John supplements his professional piano playing with daytime gigs as a piano tuner.

John Mosher is a native of Sioux City where his father was a bandleader in vaudeville days. He came to the Pacific Coast after service in the Army and has worked with Jerry Gray, and Les Brown. He settled in San Francisco early in 1957 and since then has been recognized as one of the best bass players in town. He is currently working with the Griller String Quartet in a series of concerts on the educational tv station, KQED, in which the Quartet is enlarged for some unusual string and woodwinds performances. A most versatile musician, he has doubled between the Hangover (as a substitute in Earl Hines' band), and the Ballet Russe as well as modern jazz playing. He intends eventually to devote himself to classical music.

One track, "Dues Blues," was taken from a concert at the University of California given by Cal Tjader and featuring Brew Moore. Accompanying Brew and Cal on this track are Vince Guaraldi, Fantasy recording artist and regular pianist with the Tjader group; Dean Reilly, who has appeared as bassist on numerous Fantasy LPs, trombonist Bob Collins, also featured on Fantasy LP 3211, and drummer Bobby White, formerly with Vido Musso and Buddy DeFranco.

– RALPH J. GLEASON - Editor, Jam Session (G. P. Putnam's Sons)

Edison's Lamp
Nancy With The Laughing Face
Rhode Island Red
Marna Moves
Dues Blues
Pat's Batch

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