Jazz
Vic Dickenson - Trombone
Joe Thomas - Trumpet
Al Williams - Piano
Bill Pemberton - Bass
Buck Clayton - Trumpet
Buddy Tate - Sax (Tenor)
Buster Bailey - Clarinet
Danny Barker - Guitar
Dicky Wells - Trombone
Everett Barksdale - Guitar
Gene Ramsey - Bass
Hal Singer - Sax (Tenor)
Herbie Nichols - Piano
Jimmy Crawford - Drums
John Letman - Trumpet
Marquis Foster - Drums
The main fault to this set (an Atlantic album reissued in 1999 as a Koch CD) is simply that there is not enough of it. Trombonist Vic Dickenson, who receives top billing, is just on two of the six selections -- a total of 11 minutes. Dickenson's octet (which also includes trumpeter Buck Clayton, Hal Singer on tenor, clarinetist Herbie Hall, pianist Al Williams, guitarist Danny Barker, bassist Gene Ramey and drummer Marquis Foster) is fine, the arrangement on "The Lamp Is Low" is catchy and Clayton takes honors. But one suspects that the Dickenson name was used originally to help sell the music of the other band, which is led by trumpeter Joe Thomas. The lyrical Thomas is joined by the extroverted trumpeter Johnny Letman, trombonist Dickie Wells (who has a few speechlike solos), tenor saxophonist Buddy Tate, clarinetist Buster Bailey, pianist Herbie Nichols, guitarist Everett Barksdale, bassist Bill Pemberton and drummer Jimmy Crawford. With riff-filled arrangements by Dick Vance (the ensembles are not jammed), this intriguing nonet mixes together Dixieland and swing players along with a notable pianist-composer. Herbie Nichols is mostly heard in an accompanying role, taking his longest solo on the lengthy "Blues for Baby." Nichols, who was completely neglected by the beboppers, fit into this trad jazz setting surprisingly well. A fun and very obscure reissue.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Vic Dickenson
Active Decades: '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s
Born: Aug 06, 1906 in Xenia, OH
Died: Nov 16, 1984 in New York, NY
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Dixieland, Swing
A distinctive trombonist with a sly wit and the ability to sound as if he were playing underwater, Vic Dickenson was an asset to any session on which he appeared. He stated out in the 1920s and '30s playing in the Midwest. Associations with Blanche Calloway (1933-1936), Claude Hopkins (1936-1939), Benny Carter (1939), Count Basie (1940), Carter again (1941), and Frankie Newton (1941-1943) preceded a high-profile gig with Eddie Heywood's popular sextet (1943-1946); Dickenson also played and recorded with Sidney Bechet. From then on he was a freelancing soloist who spent time on the West Coast, Boston, and New York, appearing on many recordings (including some notable dates for Vanguard) and on the legendary Sound of Jazz telecast (1957). In the 1960s, Dickenson co-led the Saints and Sinners, toured with George Wein's Newport All-Stars, and worked regularly with Wild Bill Davison and Eddie Condon. During 1968-1970, he was in a quintet with Bobby Hackett and in the 1970s, he sometimes played with the World's Greatest Jazz Band.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
