Saturday, June 18, 2005

Hear Harold

"Did You See Harold Vick?" is another good track from the Sonny Rollins CD "This is What I Do" and it made me wonder who the heck Harold Vick was. Answer: "One of jazz's great unsung saxophonists," as allmusic puts it, a guy with a big, deep, rhythm and bluesy sound that reminds me some of "Fathead" Newman or "Lockjaw" Davis. Unfortunately, he started leading groups in the late '60s and early '70s and that's not what people wanted to hear then.

Flipping through disks at the Jazz Record Mart in Chicago not long ago I was thrilled to find CD reissues of two of his LPs, "Straight Up" with a quintet and sextet and "Watch What Happens" with a big band and quartet, both including Herbie Hancock on piano and Bob Cranshaw on bass. Makes me wish I had seen Harold Vick and glad I can still hear him.

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