Chuck Wayne - The Jazz Guitarist

AllMusic Review by Dave Nathan  [-]

Chuck Wayne's participation in some of the earliest bebop recordings have lead many to conclude that he was purely a bop-style guitar player. Yet on the recordings he made in the mid-1940s, first with the Billy Eckstine Band and later with Dizzy Gillespie, his swing-oriented guitar collides with the "new music" being played by the more modern musicians on the set. It was with George Shearing that Wayne had his greatest success, making a major contribution to the Shearing sound. This particular album reissues two sets cut by Wayne during the 1950s. The first, covering tracks 1-4 and 7-10, is from 1953 sessions with his Quartet featuring Zoot Sims and Brew Moore; the second session, made the following year with the John Mehegan Quartet, comprises the other four tunes. There are some standards along with seven originals, including five by Wayne. Words that can best be used to describe the latter are "innocuous," "pleasant," "nice background music." These arrangements could be heard in a hundred lounges and small clubs throughout the country during the years when this album was made. While there is virtually no inventiveness going on, the playing is entertaining. One quality that comes through with the Wayne guitar is its hornlike sound, which adds a dimension to his playing and is especially complementary when either Sims or Moore is soloing, as on "While My Lady Sleeps," "Side Walks of Cuba" and "Uncus." One exception to the ordinariness of the material is the arrangement of the Victor Young/Ned Washington masterpiece, "Stella by Starlight," where John Mehegan's piano and Wayne's guitar engage in interplay which comes close to being avant-garde. Several of the players at these sessions were from the upper echelons of jazz; it's regrettable they were not offered more interesting or challenging music to perform.

Chuck Wayne

The Jazz Guitarist

featuring Zoot Sims Brew Moore Savoy 00:00 A1 You Brought A New Kind Of Love 03:09 A2 S.S. Cool 05:52 A3 Mary Ann 08:23 A4 Butter Fingers 11:53 A5 Taking A Chance On Love 14:37 A6 Sirod 17:39 B1 While My Lady Sleeps 20:12 B2 Tasty Pudding 23:30 B3 Prospecting 26:02 B4 Sidewalks Of Cuba 28:56 B5 Uncus 31:16 B6 Stella By Starlight tracks A1 to A4 ; B1 to B4: Guitar - Chuck Wayne Tenor Saxophone – Brew Moore , Zoot Sims ) Bass – George Duvivier Drums - Ed Shaughnessy Piano - Harvey Leonard tracks A5-A6-B5-B6 Guitar -Chuck Wayne Bass - Vinnie Burke Drums – Joe Morello Piano – John Mehegan Recorded

Van Gelder Studio

Hackensack

New Jersey

1956