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Eddie Gomez Trio/Frank Wess Quartet Eddie Gomez To find out more about Eddie, go to eddiegomez.com Frank Wess To find out more about Frank, go to frankwess.org |
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Stanford
Jazz Workshop / P.O. Box 20454 Stanford, CA 94309 / Tel: 650.736.0324 / info@stanfordjazz.org
Web
site: Grow
Design / Photography: Scott
Chernis, Mars
Breslow, SJW Staff
Born in Puerto Rico, Eddie Gomez grew up in New
York and began playing double bass at 11. Perhaps
best known for his long alliance with pianist Bill Evans,
for whom he played acoustic bass from 1966 to
1977, Gomez is acknowledged as a brilliant talent.
Time Magazine said of him, “Eddie Gomez has the
world on his strings,” and this is obviously a widelyheld
opinion: in addition to his pivotal role as bassist
for the Evans trio, Gomez has supported Miles Davis,
Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Marian McPartland,
Wayne Shorter and Chick Corea during his forty-some year career. Two
of his recordings with Bill Evans, “Bill Evans at the Montreux
Jazz Festival” and “The
Bill Evans Album,” won Grammy Awards. This
concert will feature Eddie with his trio performing a
Bill Evans program, an ideal setting to showcase his
nimble playing.
A true elder statesman, Frank Wess played
flute, tenor and alto sax in Count Basie’s Big Band, known
colloquially as Basie’s “New Testament” band. His
solos were a distinctive element of Basie’s signature sound,
and were an attractive counterpoint to those of tenor player Frank
Foster (the two developed a mutual respect and admiration that continues
to this day). Wess was born in Kansas City, first studying classical
music before developing an interest in jazz. He received a degree
in fl ute from the Modern School of Music in Washington DC, interrupting
his career to serve in the miltary in WWII. After the war, Wess joined
Billy Eckstine’s Orchestra in 1946, beginning work with Basie
in 1953. Wess won Downbeat’s Annual Poll in the Flute category
from 1959–1964. A list of Wess’ recording credits contains
the biggest names of swing, bop and cool: Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah
Vaughan, Quincy Jones, Clark Terry, Roland Hanna and Duke Ellington
to name just a few. Recognized by the National Endowment for the
Arts in 2007 with their NEA Jazz Master Award, Frank remains active
at 85 and epitomizes the spirit of collaboration that jazz is all
about.