egroj world: Harold Vick • Commitment

Thursday, July 11, 2024

Harold Vick • Commitment

Biography by Chris Kelsey
One of jazz's great unsung saxophonists, Harold Vick can be placed in a category with the likes of Booker Ervin, David "Fathead" Newman, Wilton Felder, and James Clay -- hard-toned, aggressive, funky tenorists who placed an emphasis on the blues even as they embodied state-of-the-art bop-derived modernism. Although he led relatively few recording dates, Vick was held in high regard by other leaders, especially such '60s-era soul-jazz organists as Brother Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Shirley Scott, and Big John Patton. Vick also performed and recorded with many noted R&B and jazz vocalists, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Ashford & Simpson, Angela Bofill, Abbey Lincoln, and Lena Horne.

Vick was born in the same small North Carolina town -- Rocky Mount -- as pianist Thelonious Monk (his elder by 20 years). Vick started playing music at the age of 13 when his uncle Prince Robinson (a highly regarded tenor saxophonist who played with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, and others during the '20s and '30s) gave him a clarinet. At 16 Vick took up the tenor and soon after began playing in R&B bands. In the '50s Vick moved to Washington, D.C., and studied psychology at Howard University. He continued to play, mostly with R&B bands.

His work with such organists as McDuff and McGriff began attracting attention. By the mid-'60s, Vick was leading his own groups, featuring such players as trumpeter Blue Mitchell and guitarist Grant Green. In 1963, he recorded his first album as a leader, Steppin' Out!, for the Blue Note label. Between 1966 and 1974 he led dates for the RCA, Muse, and Strata East labels. In 1972 he recorded with Jack DeJohnette's band Compost, one of the drummer's first efforts at leading a band.

By the mid-'70s Vick had essentially stopped recording as a leader. His career as a sideman flourished, however. He continued working with organists Scott and McGriff, singers Franklin and Charles, Dizzy Gillepie's big band, and with R&B acts both in the studio and on the road. Shortly before his death in 1987, Vick recorded a pair of Billie Holiday tributes with singer Abbey Lincoln for the enja label. In 1998 Sonny Rollins paid tribute to Vick by composing and recording a tune titled "Did You See Harold Vick?"
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/harold-vick-mn0000952516#biography

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Biografía de Chris Kelsey
Harold Vick, uno de los grandes saxofonistas desconocidos del jazz, puede situarse en la misma categoría que Booker Ervin, David "Fathead" Newman, Wilton Felder y James Clay: tenoristas de tono duro, agresivo y funky que hacían hincapié en el blues a la vez que encarnaban el modernismo derivado del bop de vanguardia. Aunque dirigió relativamente pocas grabaciones, Vick era muy apreciado por otros líderes, especialmente por organistas de soul-jazz de los años 60 como Brother Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Shirley Scott y Big John Patton. Vick también actuó y grabó con muchos vocalistas de jazz y R&B, como Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Ashford & Simpson, Angela Bofill, Abbey Lincoln y Lena Horne.

Vick nació en la misma pequeña ciudad de Carolina del Norte (Rocky Mount) que el pianista Thelonious Monk (20 años mayor que él). Vick empezó a tocar música a los 13 años, cuando su tío Prince Robinson (un saxofonista tenor de gran prestigio que tocó con Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, McKinney's Cotton Pickers y otros durante los años 20 y 30) le regaló un clarinete. A los 16 años Vick cogió el tenor y poco después empezó a tocar en bandas de R&B. En los años 50, Vick se trasladó a Washington D.C. y estudió psicología en la Universidad Howard. Siguió tocando, sobre todo con bandas de R&B.

Su trabajo con organistas como McDuff y McGriff empezó a llamar la atención. A mediados de los 60, Vick dirigía sus propios grupos, en los que participaban músicos como el trompetista Blue Mitchell y el guitarrista Grant Green. En 1963, grabó su primer álbum como líder, Steppin' Out!, para el sello Blue Note. Entre 1966 y 1974 lideró fechas para los sellos RCA, Muse y Strata East. En 1972 grabó con el grupo Compost de Jack DeJohnette, uno de los primeros intentos del batería por liderar una banda.

A mediados de los 70, Vick dejó de grabar como líder. Sin embargo, su carrera como músico de acompañamiento floreció. Siguió trabajando con los organistas Scott y McGriff, los cantantes Franklin y Charles, la big band de Dizzy Gillepie y con grupos de R&B tanto en el estudio como en la carretera. Poco antes de su muerte en 1987, Vick grabó un par de homenajes a Billie Holiday con la cantante Abbey Lincoln para el sello enja. En 1998 Sonny Rollins rindió homenaje a Vick componiendo y grabando un tema titulado "Did You See Harold Vick?".
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/harold-vick-mn0000952516#biography

Tracks:
A1 - Commitment
Bass – Herb Bushler
Drums – Mickey Roker
Guitar – Malcolm Riddick
Piano – Walter Bishop - Vibraphone – Victor Feldman
Written-By – Vick - 5:10
A2 - H.N.I.C.
Bass – Herb Bushler
Drums – Mickey Roker
Guitar – Malcolm Riddick
Piano – Walter Bishop - Vibraphone – Victor Feldman
Written-By – Vick - 5:00
A3 - A Time And A Place
Bass – Herb Bushler
Drums – Mickey Roker
Guitar – Malcolm Riddick
Piano – Walter Bishop - Vibraphone – Victor Feldman
Written-By – J. Heath - 6:10
B1 - Out Of It
Bass – Herb Bushler
Drums – Mickey Roker
Guitar – Malcolm Riddick
Piano – Walter Bishop - Vibraphone – Victor Feldman
Written-By – Vick - 5:30
B2 - Wild Is The Wind
Bass – Herb Bushler
Drums – Mickey Roker
Guitar – Malcolm Riddick
Piano – Walter Bishop - Vibraphone – Victor Feldman
Written-By – Tiomkin*, Washington - 4:18
B3 - Blue Gardenia
Drums – Mickey Roker
Guitar – Malcolm Riddick
Piano – Victor Feldman, Walter Bishop - Written-By – Russell*, Lee - 4:24
B4 - From Within
Bass – Herb Bushler
Drums – Mickey Roker
Guitar – Malcolm Riddick
Piano – Walter Bishop - Vibraphone – Victor Feldman
Written-By – Vick

Recorded at Bell Sound Studios in 1967. Vick recorded the album "Commitment" in 1967, but it wasn't released until 1974 on Muse, just before "Don't Look Back"
Malcolm Riddick is also credited as Malcolm Reddick on the back cover.

Label:    Muse Records – MR 5054
Series:    Muse Forever Series
Country:    US
Released:    1974
Genre:    Jazz
Style:    Contemporary Jazz, Soul-Jazz, Hard Bop
https://www.discogs.com/release/6055668-Harold-Vick-Commitment