February 13 this year will mark the centenary of one of the all-time great bebop tenor saxophone players - Wardell Gray.
His tragic demise will no doubt, come the day, be rehashed over and over and we may even discover the truth! Former JNE treasurer, Alex Roberts, once told me that Frank Foster once told him that he (Wardell Gray) ran foul of The Mob.
There are many stories along similar lines whilst others claim he fell out of bed and banged his head on the floor and his roommate panicked and dumped the body in the desert. Some have suggested racial issues, some claim he was involved with a married woman. However, what cannot be disputed is the fact that he was one helluva tenor player.
The YouTube track is, of course, the one that Annie Ross rode to fame on the back of with her vocalese version.
Lance
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