Search - Chuck Wayne :: Morning Mist

"Morning Mist" More Than Just Trivia

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 12/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Have you ever wondered what was the session Rudy Van Gelder recorded the day before John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme?" The answer is Chuck Wayne's "Morning Mist" on December 8, 1964, 45 years ago today! Of course the guitarist's first effort for Prestige is no match for one of, if not the greatest jazz album ever recorded, but something was definitely in the air in the Englewood Cliffs studio that week. (Sam Rivers' Fuchsia Swing Song was recorded on December 11th, the day after 'Trane's two day summit -- see my review.) Aside from a few upbeat numbers, one of which "Lovely" showcases Chuck on banjo (!), this record features beautiful, moody songs for jazz trio, some with a hint of bossa nova, but all with a relaxed smoothness that you'd expect from someone named Chuck Wayne (though his birth name was Charles Jagelka). He forges an excellent musical understanding with the rest of his trio, two other people I'd never heard of before purchasing this disc -- bassist Joe Williams and drummer Ronny Bedford -- and the three of them cover familiar territory with fresh approaches. Wayne doesn't have many other CDs (which is a shame), but an Amazon search reveals a couple of guitar studies texts which he authored, so it's easy to understand why he was regarded as a guitarist's guitarist. Before this disc goes out-of-print (while available here currently, it is another of the Fantasy factory clearance titles on the Oldies/Collectables website, meaning its days are numbered), I would recommend that you make Wayne your guitarist too."