Ernie Wilkins - Flutes & Reeds

When popular music's 12-inch album era began in 1955, jazz record labels scrambled for artists who could fill up the longer sides cohesively. Many labels looked for musicians who could arrange, bring in top artists for sessions and rehearse them in advance. In effect, they needed managers of highly creative artists who could deliver results quickly.

At Savoy, producer Ozzie Cadena was in a good spot. The label was based in Newark, N.J., and Rudy Van Gelder's studio, in his parents' home, was in Hackensack. In '55, Cadena produced several superb albums by tapping into the Basie band. One of these albums was Ernie Wilkins's Flutes & Reeds. 

Recorded in August 1955, the album featured Jerome Richardson and Frank Wess (fl,ts), Ernie Wilkins (as, arr, dir), Hank Jones (p), Eddie Jones and (b) Kenny Clarke (d). Of the sextet, Wess, Wilkins and Eddie Jones were associated with the Basie band. Richardson, Hank Jones and Clarke were standout musicians in their own right.

The songs were Basie's "Shorty George", Wilkins's "Bouncin'With Boots", "Blues in a Cold Water Flat" and "Stereophonic", Frank Foster's "Doin' the Thing" and Marcel Daniels's "That's a Woman". Here's the solo lineup:

Shorty George: Wess solos on flute first and then Richardson

Bouncin' With Boots: Richardson, Wilkins and Wess

That's a Woman: Wilkins, with Wess and Richardson in the background

Doin' the Thing: Wess on flute, Richardson on tenor saxophone

Blues in a Cold Water Flat: Wess, Wilkins and Richardson

Stereophonic: Wess on flute and Richardson on tenor saxophone.

Especially interesting on this album is the opportunity to hear Ernie Wilkins on alto saxophone. On most albums, he turns up in the credits as the arranger. Here, we get to hear him play beautifully in a small-group setting. In addition, the jazz flute was just emerging during this period. Wess and Richardson were pioneers of the instrument in a jazz setting along with Buddy Collette, Herbie Mann, Sam Most and a handful of others. *Marc Myers*

Side 1

1 - Shorty George

(Count Basie, Andy Gibson)

2 - Bouncin’ With Boots

(Ernie Wilkins)

3 - That’s A Woman

(Marcel Daniels)

Side 2

4 - Doin’ The Thing

(Frank Foster)

5 - Blues In A Cold Water Flat

(Ernie Wilkins)

6 - Stereophonic

(Ernie Wilkins)

Ernie Wilkins (alto sax), Jerome Richardson (flute, tenor sax), Frank Wess (flute, tenor sax), Hank Jones (piano), Eddie Jones (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums).

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, August 1955.