Ernie Wilkins & His Orchestra • Here Comes The Swingin' Mr. Wilkins

A fine, slippery bop tenor sax player, and a creator of sharp-edged arrangements for bop and swing big bands who helped define the Count Basie Mk. II style of the 1950s, Ernie Wilkins had been a regular fixture on the American jazz scene until 1979, when he pulled up stakes and moved to Europe. He first learned piano and violin, then studied music at Wilberforce University before going into the Navy during the war. He caught on with the Earl Hines band in 1948 and worked around the St. Louis area before joining the Basie band in 1952. He remained in the Basie fold until 1955, but continued to freelance arrangements to the Count, as well as arrange for and perform with the Dizzy Gillespie band that toured the Middle East and South America in 1956. Also in 1956, he wrote three of the six movements of the exciting Wilkins/Manny Albam The Drum Suite (RCA Victor) -- reputedly the first time anyone had tried to integrate four drummers into one band -- and led big band albums under his own name for Savoy and Everest in the 1950s. He was the staff composer for the Harry James orchestra from 1958 to 1960 and served as musical director for albums by Nat Adderley, Sarah Vaughan, Buddy Rich, Oscar Peterson, and Dinah Washington, among others. In 1968, he joined Clark Terry's Big B-A-D Band, serving as a composer and music director, after which he assembled his own band and became head of A&R for the Mainstream label (1971-1973). He would continue to provide Basie with arrangements and toured Europe with Terry in the late '70s, ultimately settling in Copenhagen in 1979, where he formed the Almost Big Band. Most of the recorded examples of Wilkins' work on sax are as a sideman with Basie and Terry.

 

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Ernie Wilkins, un fino y escurridizo saxofonista tenor de bop, y creador de arreglos de vanguardia para las grandes bandas de bop y swing que ayudaron a definir el estilo Count Basie Mk. II de los años 50, había sido un fijo en la escena del jazz americano hasta 1979, cuando dejó de serlo y se trasladó a Europa. Primero aprendió piano y violín, luego estudió música en la Universidad de Wilberforce antes de entrar en la Marina durante la guerra. Se unió a la banda de Earl Hines en 1948 y trabajó en la zona de St. Louis antes de unirse a la banda de Basie en 1952. Permaneció en el redil del Basie hasta 1955, pero continuó haciendo arreglos independientes para el Conde, así como arreglando y actuando con la banda de Dizzy Gillespie que hizo una gira por Oriente Medio y Sudamérica en 1956. También en 1956, escribió tres de los seis movimientos del excitante Wilkins/Manny Albam The Drum Suite (RCA Victor) - supuestamente la primera vez que alguien había intentado integrar cuatro bateristas en una banda - y dirigió álbumes de grandes bandas bajo su propio nombre para Savoy y Everest en los años 50. Fue el compositor de la orquesta de Harry James de 1958 a 1960 y sirvió como director musical de los álbumes de Nat Adderley, Sarah Vaughan, Buddy Rich, Oscar Peterson y Dinah Washington, entre otros. En 1968, se unió a la Big B-A-D Band de Clark Terry, sirviendo como compositor y director musical, tras lo cual reunió su propia banda y se convirtió en jefe de A&R para el sello Mainstream (1971-1973). Continuó haciendo arreglos para Basie y realizó una gira por Europa con Terry a finales de los años 70, instalándose finalmente en Copenhague en 1979, donde formó la Almost Big Band. La mayoría de los ejemplos grabados del trabajo de Wilkins en el saxo son como sideman con Basie y Terry.

 

 

Tracklist

A1 Broadway
A2 Surrey With The Fringe On Top
A3 Falling In Love With Love
A4 The Continental
A5 Makin' Whoopee
A6 Stompin' At The Savoy
B1 You're Driving Me Crazy (What Did I Do)
B2 Baubles,Bangles And Beads
B3 Somebody Loves Me
B4 All Of You
B5 Gone With The Wind
B6 It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing

Credits
Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor) - Ernie Wilkins
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Marshall Royal
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Frank Wess
Bass – Eddie Jones
Drums – Charlie Persip
Guitar – Freddie Greene
Piano – Jimmy Jones
Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson (tracks: B2, B3, B5, B6 ), Paul Gonsalves, Zoot Sims
Trombone – Al Grey, Jack Rains, Mickey Graume
Trombone [Bass] – Paul Felice
Trumpet – Ernie Royal, Joe Newman, Richard Williams, Snooky Young, Thad Jones (tracks: B2, B3, B5, B6)
Vibraphone – Eddie Costa

Thad Jones, Trumpet Jones replaces Williams on 4 tracks
Benny Golson, tenor sax replaces Gonsalves on 4 tracks
Bass Trombonist is listed in the Liner Notes as "Paul Felice"

Tracks A1 ro B1, B4 recorded New York on Dec. 9,1959
Tracks B2, B3, B5,B6 recorded New York Jan.11,1960

 

 

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