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5.0 out of 5 stars
Wallington, Off The "Scene", June 7, 2010
In the past couple of years, I have purchased hundreds of Fantasy/OJC CDs at bargain closeout prices, but there are a few for which I had to pay top dollar. Pianist George Wallington's "The New York Scene" was one of those titles, and based on the strength of his other Prestige recordings, I knew it would be a worthwhile investment. Chemistry is the word that best describes the Scene at Rudy Van Gelder's on March 1, 1957. Donald Byrd and Phil Woods had already shared the frontline on Wallington's earlier
Jazz for the Carriage Trade and on the co-led
The Young Bloods (see my review), while the rhythm duo of Teddy Kotick and Nick Stabulas were frequent backers of Woods and Wallington on record, among others. As a result this band forged a cohesive hard bop sound that rivaled that of the Jazz Messengers. In fact, interested parties should check out Wallington's
Complete Live at the Bohemia, which is a close second to the volumes that Art's band made famous at the same club. Such a talented player and bandleader, it's too bad that shortly after "The New York Scene" Wallington left the jazz scene for several decades. Don't let this now OOP disc escape you similarly.
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