Fresh Sound Records Paul Quinichette The Vice Pres, Legendary Sessions 1951-1954

Few jazz stars of the 1950s gained such widespread acceptance and acclaim as Paul Quinichette. In the two years since he won the Down Beat Critics Poll for New Tenor Saxophone Star of the Year 1953, he garnered many individual honors. This recognition and subsequent fame were a direct result of his memorable association with the Count Basie Orchestra, of which he was a member from September 1951 to July 1953. During that time, he earned his reputation as Vice “Pres,” which, of course, means that he was considered the closest, both in tone and style, to Lester "Pres" Young. All the recordings on this 2-CD set were produced by Bob Shad between 1951 and 1954 and originally released on the Mercury, EmArcy, Dale, and Decca labels. There are exceptional musical moments throughout these early Paul Quinichette sessions, full of loose swinging, unpretentious arranging, and a lot of good blowing. The mood frequently resembles that of the celebrated Kansas City Seven and Kansas City Five contingent with which Basie made some of his most unforgettable performances in the late 1930s. The presence of the Hammond organ in several of the tunes further contributes to creating an exhilarating atmosphere. The latter two sessions result from the collaboration between Paul and young arranger Quincy Jones, distinguished by the smooth texture of the ensemble sound created through the use of tenor and flute flowing in two distinct frameworks, showcasing Quincy’s inventive gifts as a melodist. The straight 4/4 beat of the first group contrasts with the eight-to-a-bar approach that constitutes the substance of the second combo, where the guitar and drums disappear, replaced by three Afro-Cuban percussionists. Despite his subsequent extensive and distinguished recording career, the music we can hear in these legendary sessions contains possibly the most definitive recorded examples of Paul Quinichette's tenor saxophone work, who in jazz history will forever be remembered as the Vice 'Pres'. —Jordi Pujol