[DSD][OF] Bennie Wallace - Moodsville - 2001/2018 (Jazz) [DSD128]

1. I'll Never Smile Again (Ruth Lowe)
2. Con Alma (John Gillespie)
3. April In Paris (V. Duke, E. Harburg)
4. Milestones (Miles Davis)
5. When A Man Loves A Woman (C. Lewis, A. Wright)
6. Love For Sale (Cole Porter)
7. My Little Brown Book (Billy Strayhorn)
8. I Concentrate On You (Cole Porter)
9. A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing (Billy Strayhorn)

Bennie Wallace tenor saxophone
Mulgrew Miller piano
Peter Washington bass
Lewis Nash drums

Bennie Wallace
Bennie Wallace is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began playing in local clubs with the encouragement of East Ridge, Tennessee High School band director and drummer Chet Hedgecoth and professional reed player Billy Usselton, who appeared as a guest at a stage band festival and heard Wallace with the East Ridge High School Swing Band.
After studying clarinet at the University of Tennessee, Wallace settled in New York in 1971 with the encouragement of Monty Alexander, who hired him and recommended him to the American Federation of Musicians local, which virtually guaranteed his entry. Wallace played with Barry Harris, Buddy Rich, Dannie Richmond. His debut recording was done with Flip Phillips and Scott Hamilton in 1977.
Wallace has cited Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins among many major saxophone influences. He recorded on the revived Blue Note label in 1985 - the original label provided much of the key music of his formative years. The eclectic cast on the album Twilight Time reflects the mix of musical styles he encountered in the local club scene of Chattanooga, such as the Blue Room, the AmVets Club and Katie's Four O'Clock Club. Country & western, western swing, and rock & roll all required familiarity with key signatures and repertoire favored by "pickers" (guitarists).
Wallace toured and recorded with trombonist Ray Anderson (musician), whose technical skills allowed both musicians to explore a broad repertoire not always associated with jazz music. He has provided original music for Ron Shelton's films Blaze and White Men Can't Jump.

This latest album from tenor saxophonist Bennie Wallace (a familiar audiophile artist) is one of his finest and most lyrical sessions to date. Recorded direct to 2-track Analog Tape at Systems 2 in New York in May the session features some of the hottest jazz musicians currently working in the US: Mulgrew Miller (piano), Peter Washington (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums) The performances include the following Love For Sale. I Concentrate On You, A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing, When A Woman Loves A Man, April In Paris, Milestones and Con Alma. The sound and feel of the album is very close to that of the great Moodsville and Prestige recordings of the 50s and 60s featuring artists like Gene Ammons. This album is a tribute to those great recordings hence the title Moodsville. There are stunning versions of April In Paris, A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing and When A Woman Loves A Man. This is the kind of beautiful, smoky, full bodied and ballad-filled tenor sax album that audiophiles just love!

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"Bennie Wallace is unlike any tenor saxophonist, often alternating between a soulful, fat tone (which is very similar to Ben Webster's approach) and sudden unpredictable jumps (no doubt inspired by alto saxophonist Eric Dolphy). Joined by an outstanding rhythm section consisting of pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Lewis Nash, Wallace explores favorites from the swing and bop eras, with his bandmates providing a solid anchor underneath his flights. Two gems from the pen of Billy Strayhorn, the rhapsodic "My Little Brown Book" and the fragile ballad "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing," stand in a class by themselves with Wallace's fresh interpretations. Both theLatin-flavored arrangement of "Love for Sale" and Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma" pack a powerful punch, while "Milestones" (the earlier one which Miles Davis recorded for Savoy, though it was actually composed by John Lewis) takes a far more adventurous route than typically heard.
This excellent session demonstrates a mature artist with a very distinct sound, which should be the ultimate goal of every jazz musician. This highly recommended Album is one of Bennie Wallace's best sessions of his long, very fruitful career."
- Ken Dryden, All Music