Frank Wellington Wess (January 4, 1922 – October 30, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. He was renown for his extensive solo work; however, he was also remembered for his time playing with Count Basie's band during the early 1950s into the early 1960s. Critic Scott Yanow described him as one of the premier proteges of Lester Young, and a leading jazz flutist of his era—using the latter instrument to bring new colors to Basie's music.

Early Life

Frank was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Since he was young, Frank grew up listening to music. His mother was one of his major influences as she would take him to watch performers like Roland Hayes and Ida Cox. While speaking to his father, who was a school principal in Oklahoma, on a separate occasion, he discovered that his mother had wanted him to become a musician for a long time. Up until that pivotal moment, Frank had viewed his interactions with his mother as bonding where she emphasized the importance of being aware of culture. Before realizing that jazz was his calling, he had other interests. To name a few, Frank aspired to be a cabinetmaker and then a dentist. Frank grew up loving the saxophone, specifically the tenor saxophone and alto saxophone. He had asked his mother for one since he was young, and she would always tell him, "Wait till you're ten years old." He believed that this life truly started when he turned ten years old as that marked the start of his lengthy music career. Interestingly, Frank was drawn to the instrument as it was "closely related to the human voice." In his eyes, the saxophone was an instrument that was relatively easy to learn, but it was difficult to master it. In an interview with the National Endowment for the Arts, he said, "...if you can play it, it sounds good, you know. Lots of instruments, you put a whole lot into it and it still doesn't sound too good." When he began playing the saxophone, he took influence from the sound of the horn. Frank began with classical music training and played in Oklahoma in high school. He would travel around with the All-State High School Orchestra to perform. Then, in 1935, Frank and his family moved to Washington D.C.. At this time, he had not been playing any longer as burnout had gotten the best of him, causing him to grow "tired of the music." Having that significant change in scenery revitalized and rekindled Frank's passion for playing music. During lunch time at his high school, students would host jam sessions in the orchestra. Billy Taylor was a student at his high school during that period of time. These sessions lit up that spark in Frank that made him start playing again. He experienced a shift in preferences as he opted to begin playing jazz. To be more specific, he played a big band style of jazz. Living in Washington D.C. put him in proximity to Baltimore, Maryland, a city that marked a turning point in his young career. During the summer of 1938, Frank performed at a club in Baltimore with a group called the Hardy Brothers. He had two opening numbers in the same week, which gave him a boost of confidence. The next week, he performed another opening number at the Royal Theater, which only gave him more confidence to keep going.

World War II and The 1940s

In 1941, Frank became a member of the U.S. Army. His ROTC bandleader had been recruiting eligible young people who could play music professionally. He would serve as an assistant bandleader that played a variety of music - Viennese waltzes, vaudeville, classical and marching band to name a few. It was a 17-piece swing band, and they were sent to Africa in 1942. During that tour, they performed in Dakar, Casablanca, Monrovia, Tlemcen, and Algiers. During their first gig, they played for a group of Americans, Germans, and British. The highlight of Frank's time with the Army Band was accompanying Josephine Baker on tours for the Allied Power's troops. Shortly upon returning from his time in the Army in 1944, Frank joined the Billy Eckstine and his orchestra. They had known each other before Frank went off to the War. At one point, Frank went to go see Billy at the theater; during this interaction, Bill said, "look, my tenor player is going into the army. Come on with me." This interaction was a golden opportunity as this orchestra was legendary for being the first big band that played a new style of jazz known as bebop. Moreover, Billy Eckstine's Orchestra included pioneers for this new style of jazz: Fats Navarro, Miles Davis, Howard McGhee, Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons, Leo Parker, Tommy Potter, Art Blakely. However, this stint did not last for too long as the orchestra disbanded in 1947. As a result of the disbanding of the Billy Eckstine Orchestra, Frank would proceed to play with the orchestras of Eddie Heywood, Lucky Millinder, and Bullmoose Jackson. Like with Eckstine, these stints were also short-lived as by 1949, Frank burned out again from the stress of being on the road for so much time. In addition, he was fed up with the maltreatments from society during this time due to his race. As a result, Frank would move back to Washington D.C. to enroll at the Modern School of Music in pursuit of a Bachelor's of Music degree. During this time, he re-discovered the flute. In high school Frank's orchestra teacher gave him a flute, but he did not have anyone to teach him how to properly play it. However, this school had teachers from the National Symphony, so this represented a chance to learn the flute.

Count Basie and The "New Testament" Band

Because of Frank's time with Billy Eckstine, he had the opportunity to interact with Count Basie. Eckstine had recommended him to Basie, and he tried recruiting Frank for a couple of years. However, he would consistently refuse to join the band as he did not want to leave school just to go back on the road as he had already grown tired of it, thus his motive for going to school in the first place. At the end of his time in school, Basie called him and said he could help get Frank more exposure. Frank's only condition was that he needed a salary, and Basie agreed to pay him what he was asking for. Frank played a pivotal role in the formation of Count Basie's orchestra as he recruited the following musicians: Thad Jones, Bill Hughes, Eddie Jones, Al Aarons, and Eric Dixon. Together, this group of legendary musicians formed Count Basie's "New Testament" band. Throughout the years, other musicians came and went. Frank's versatility as an artist allowed him to play the flute, alto saxophone, and tenor saxophone. Basie's leadership style was unorthodox as he never rehearsed with the band, but rather, he would just sit and listen. Frank and the musicians were the ones who decided on the arrangements. However, this approach to leadership allowed Basie to be aware of everything. He would have an eye on everything and knew what was occurring in the musicians' personal lives. While many could not comprehend Basie's approach, this allowed the members of the band to truly get to know each other so they could stay around long enough so that it translated into cohesive music pieces. During his time with Count Basie's band, Frank developed a close connection with Frank Foster. There was a lot of interplay between both of the musicians in the various performances, which displayed how they had developed a personal relationship. This flourishing friendship displayed how Basie's leadership style had encouraged the musicians to form a deeper connection with each other. When it came to instrumentation, Frank opted for the tenor saxophone and flute. This was critical in helping establish the swing in the orchestra's music, a component that Count Basie highly valued. For Frank, he felt that swing was important for anyone who wanted to play jazz. There had to be a constant pulse throughout the song. The musicians have to truly play together; they need to hear each other so that their instincts can help guide them on how to play next. Again, having that sort of connection points back to how Count Basie had led the band. In 1957, Frank willingly changed to playing the alto saxophone as the band had added Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. In 1964, Frank departed from Count Basie's band.

Post Count Basie

Following Frank's departure from the "New Testament" band, this marked a new stage in his career. He turned to Broadway and television as his next career path. For Broadway, Frank was a part of the pit bands for the renown shows Golden Boy, Chicago, Annie, and Sugar Babies. On the television side, he would play for The Dick Cavett Show, The David Frost Show, and The Sammy Davis Show, just to name a few. Frank continued to play outside of musicals and television shows. He became a sideman that was often in high demand by all sorts of musicians. It is estimated "that between 1964 and 2011, he participated in sessions with around 150 different artists or ensembles, from Benny Carter to Jaco Pastorius and from Annie Ross to Diana Ross. He was also a leader and co-leader for numerous sessions for the and Savoy record labels. Often, he would actually record sessions with his former band mates from his time with Count Basie, especially with Frank Foster. Together, they recorded two albums: Two for the Blues and Frankly Speaking. Both utilized the tenor saxophone, but played with such contrasting styles. Foster utilized a more aggressive approach while Wess focused on sounding more lyrical. Frank was a part of some additional partnerships. He was a key part of The New York Jazz Quartet along with Sir Roland Hanna on the piano, one of George Mraz or Ron Carter on the bass, and either Ben Riley, Richard Pratt, or Grady Tate on drums. Frank's key was to always find a venture to keep him occupied.

Influence

Frank was able to show the jazz world that he was a timeless musician. Many were not able to keep up with the times and would fade away. However, at the age of 89 Frank recorded an album named Magic 101. This album was seven songs played by Frank's quartet that included pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Kenny Davis, and drummer Winard Harper. Frank played the tenor saxophone throughout the song, showcasing a slower side of jazz. The album began with a song named "Say It Isn't So," that showcased the swing that Frank had built his legacy on during his time with Count Basie. The second song, "The Very Thought of You," was a stark contrast to how the program started as leaned towards a ballad. The third song, "Pretty Lady," and the fourth one, "Come Rain or Come Shine," go down the blues path as they focused more on raw emotion. The next song, "Easy Living," was a way of showing the late night in a city. The album then moves to "Blue Monk," to pick up the tempo and bring vibrancy to the atmosphere. Frank brought back a steady swing throughout the duration of this song. The album end's with Frank's solo saxophone rendition of Duke Ellington's "All Too Soon," where he created an intimate feeling for the listeners.

Death

On October 30, 2013, Frank was in a taxi on "his way to get a dialysis treatment," when he suffered a sudden heart attack. At the age of 91, he died in that cab. His health had been in decline for months, but a month before his passing, he was still playing music with his friends. His last concert had been in April in New York at the 54 Below Club. He was survived by his companion, Sara Tsutsumi, two daughters (Michele Kane and Francine Wess), two grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Marc Loehrwald, a saxophone player, said that music had been Frank's life. He loved having the opportunity to play with other musicians, and he would try to invite young and moved musicians to his house for a jam session. Frank ensured that his legacy lived far beyond than the confines of his own family.

Discography

As leader

With the New York Jazz Quartet

As sideman

With Toshiko Akiyoshi With Manny Albam With Lorez Alexandria With Gene Ammons With Dorothy Ashby With Count Basie With Count Basie Orchestra With Benny Carter With Ron Carter With Kenny Clarke With Hank Crawford With Dameronia With Charles Earland With Harry Edison With Frank Foster With Gene Harris With Johnny Hartman With Coleman Hawkins With Johnny Hodges With Bobby Hutcherson With Milt Jackson With J. J. Johnson With Elvin Jones With Etta Jones With Quincy Jones With Thad Jones With Dick Katz With Yusef Lateef With Junior Mance With Arif Mardin With Les McCann With Jimmy McGriff With Charles McPherson With Helen Merrill With Oliver Nelson With David Newman With Joe Newman With Chico O'Farrill With Houston Person With Buddy Rich With A. K. Salim With Woody Shaw With Zoot Sims With Melvin Sparks With Leon Spencer With Dakota Staton With Billy Taylor With Earl Washington With Charles Williams With Gerald Wilson With Lem Winchester