Bobby Bryant featuring James Spaulding / Larry “Wild” Wrice – Chicago Years –

These recordings were made when Bobby Bryant (1934-1998) lived in Chicago, and document the beginnings of his later successful career in the Hollywood studios. The first ten tracks were recorded in 1961 for Vee Jay Records, but were released only in 1974 as “Big Band Blues.” As he recalled in the album notes, it “was intended to bring out of obscurity a number of talented musicians. As it turned out, a couple of them did become better known, while others just remained in Chicago and are no more prominent today than they were then. The band was specially assembled for the session; we never did any gigs together.”
The second album, “Wild!”, was made when drummer Larry “Wild” Wrice returned to Chicago in 1959, after eight months away, and formed the group heard here, with James Spaulding, Bobby Blevins, and Bobby Bryant, who arranged much of the group’s material and wrote all the album’s tunes except Travelin’, written by Wrice.
The last track on this collection comes from the album “The Billy Williams Revue,” an example of the musical excitement with which the irrepressible Williams and company packed the country’s most celebrated night spots. A unique blues in waltz time, Blues for the “Q” features an electrifying trumpet solo by Bryant.
This CD is testimony to the memory of the talented soloist, composer and arranger Bobby Bryant was.

Track Listing:
1. Blues Excerpt (Bryant) - 4:19   2. 'Round Midnight (Monk) - 4:41   3. Secret Love (Fain-Webster) - 3:24   4. Love for Sale (Porter) - 3:34   5. Sleepy (Bryant) 2:14   6. Cry Me a River (Hamilton) - 3:36   7. Indiana (Jerome) - 2:39   8. Falling In Love with You (Evans-Reardon) - 3:38   9. Harlem Rain (Bryant) - 4:06   10. Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin' (Greene) - 3:13   11. Husky (Bryant) - 3:30   12. Church Seat (Bryant) - 3:31   13. Sandra's Dream (Bryant) - 5:20   14. Travelin' (Wrice) - 2:31    15. Swingin' & Things (Bryant) - 3:32   16. Santifism (Bryant) - 3:16   17. Antler Rock (Bryant) - 3:09   18. Nocturne (Bryant) - 4:27   19. Unholy Four (Bryant) 2:44   20. Wild Wrice (Bryant) - 4:19   21. Blues for the “Q” (Bryant) - 4:14

Sources:
Tracks #1-10, from the album “Big Band Blues” (Vee Jay VJS 3059)
Tracks #11-20, from the album “The Big Sound of Larry ‘Wild’ Wrice – Wild!” (Pacific Jazz PJ ST 24)
Track #21, from the album “The Billy Williams Revue” (Coral CRL 757343)

Personnel :

Personnel on “Big Band Blues”:
Bobby Bryant (trumpet, conductor & arranger) , John Howell, Marty Marshack, Fortunatus “Fip” Ricard (trumpets) , John Avant, Bill Porter, Louis Satterfield (trombones) , Bill Adkins, Willie Randall (alto saxes) , James Spaulding (tenor sax, flute) , Eddie Williams (tenor sax) , George Hunter (baritone sax) , John Young (piano) , Robare Edmondson (bass) , Marty Clausen (drums) , Wilbur Wynne (guitar on #5-7, 9 & 10)
Recorded in Chicago, February 9 (#1-4 & 8) and 13 (#5-7, 9 & 10), 1961

Personnel on “Larry 'Wild' Wrice -Wild!”:
Bobby Bryant (trumpet & arranger) , James Spaulding (flute, alto and tenor saxes) , Bobby Blevins (organ) , Larry “Wild” Wrice (drums)
Recorded in Chicago, October 1959

Personnel on Bonus Track:
Bobby Bryant (trumpet) with Dick Jacobs & His Orchestra.
Recorded in New York, June 27, 1960

Originally produced by Bobby Bryant [#1-10] and supervised by Sid McCoy (Vee-Jay Records)
Originally produced by Buck Ram [#11-20] and produced for release by Dick Bock (Pacific Jazz Records)
This CD compilation produced by Jordi Pujol