Bennie WALLACE - Sweeping Through The City 1984

Bennie WALLACE - Sweeping Through The City 1984
Featuring Ray Anderson & John Scofield

Jazz


Bennie Lee Wallace Jnr., 18 November 1946, Chatanooga, Tennessee, USA. In his teens Wallace played jazz saxophone and sat in with local country and R&B bands. He studied clarinet at Tennessee University, then moved to New York in the early 70s, working with West Indian-born pianist Monty Alexander and singer Sheila Jordan. Wallace's affinity to Ornette Coleman's new jazz language is shown by his later neglect of the piano: he prefers to work in trios, unconfined by the piano's tempered scales. Mostly playing tenor saxophone, his first trio comprised Glen Moore (bass) and Eddie Moore (drums), who were replaced in 1978 by Eddie Gomez and Dannie Richmond. His debut with this trio - The Fourteen Bar Blues, recorded for Enja Records in 1978 - was a revelation. Playing with a loose bravado usually heard from musicians with gospel backgrounds, he had found a way to translate Coleman's concept to tenor, on the way picking up echoes of Eric Dolphy and Albert Ayler. The album won the Deutscher Schallenplattenpreis and he was invited to play at the 1979 Berlin Jazz festival with the George Gruntz band.
In 1981, at the festival, Wallace fronted the North German Radio Band. Live At The Public Theatre (1978) gave him more room to stretch out and confirmed his stature. In 1982 he recorded with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones (Big Jim's Tango) and in 1984 reaffirmed his southern roots with a magnificent gospel track featuring the Wings Of Song vocalists (Sweeping Through the City). His Blue Note Records debut, Twilight Time, explored his southern background even more extensively, and featured guest appearances by Dr. John and Stevie Ray Vaughan. In the 90s, Wallace undertook film work, scoring the music for White Men Can't Jump. Garrulous, inventive and full of the blues, without a trace of the ubiquitous, studied John Coltrane-influenced sound, Wallace's sound is a rejuvenating force for the tenor saxophone.
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Tenor-saxophonist Bennie Wallace's first six recordings as a leader (all for Enja during 1978-82) featured his large tone and advanced solos with sparse rhythm sections. Sweeping Through The City was a transitional record that looked toward his upcoming Blue Note dates. Wallace is teamed with the rambunctious trombonist Ray Anderson, guitarist John Scofield, bass, drums and the four-voice gospel group "The Wings Of Song." Although the music looks toward the roots of black music, Wallace and Anderson's consistently wild solos keep the results from ever being predictable. Recommended.
By Scott Yanow. AMG.
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Bennie Wallace– Tenor Saxophone
Ray Anderson– Trombone
John Scofield– Guitar
Mike Richmond– Bass
Dennis Irwin– Bass (Track 7)
Tom Whaley– Drums
The Wings Of Song – Vocals (tracks 3 & 7)
(Pat Conley, Marybelle Porter, Cora Hill, Francês Jenkins)
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01. Eight Page Bible  7.05
02. On Radio 5  6.57
03. Trouble And Woe  5.15
04. Some Might Think We Are Dancing  4.46
05. Refrain  5.00
06. The Bread Man  4.52
07. Sweeping Through The City  5.51
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