Wardell Gray Memorial

Wardell Gray Memorial, Volume One and Wardell Gray Memorial, Volume Two are a pair of separate but related compilation albums by jazz saxophonist Wardell Gray released by Prestige Records in 1955.

Background

Wardell was born in Oklahoma City, February 13, 1921. In 1935 he transferred to Cass Technical High School, where he began "playing with the local bands of Jimmy Rachel and Benny Carew". From 1943 to 1945, he doubled on tenor saxophone and clarinet for Earl Hines. After a "short spell" with Billy Eckstine, he joined Benny Carter's band in 1946, with whom he "went out to the West Coast and decided to remain for a while."
In 1948, Wardell moved to New York and started playing with Benny Goodman's Sextet and his big band. During that time, he worked with Tadd Dameron, Count Basie, and Sonny Stitt, which, according to Art Farmer, lead to a significant change in style he kept from Hines' days.
In 1950, "he returned to Detroit and spent several months there with his own quartet", after which he returned to playing with Count Basie, with whom he stayed before settling in California at the end of 1051.

Critical reception

In a contemporaneous review for DownBeat, Nat Hentoff awarded the album four-out-five stars, saying:
Burt Korall, writing in November, 1955 for Metronome, said:
The April 28, 1956 edition of Billboard called Volume Two, "A convenient collection of some of the better sides by the late tenor man, available up until now only on scattered LP’s and EP’s. The material in this album is was originally recorded in 1950 and 1951. The latter recording date was memorable for the early appearance of trumpet man Art Farmer. His blowing in Farmer’s Market proved to be a springboard to fame. In the same session, Gray cut Jackie, Sweet and Lovely and Lover Man, all available here. The earlier sessions had Sonny Criss and Clark Terry, among others, in attendance, with Dexter Gordon sitting in on Move."

Track listing