Morning Mist

My review is entitled as it is because I studied guitar with the great Chuck Wayne in Statton Island for 5 years , where Chuck taught me for free. I had to fly up from Canada once/month where he would give me 4 or 5 days of lessons.Nuff background. In my estimation Chuck was one of the master innovators on guitar, resposible with Tal Farlow for bebop, alternate picking, and too many other things to mention here. You've got to hear him, or you'll never know what REAL jazz guitar should sound like. It is not on this album but his performance at the Town Hall Concert of "All the Things You are," will knock your socks off.His was not the "hard" bebop sound. While others were playing bop which nobody understood, Chuck stayed withy the same style and did a great duo recording with Joe Puma.I've said what I think, so now go out and buy the damn CD. You'll be glad you did.

Scary good. Chuck died in 1997, but you hear all the elments of modern jazz guitar in his playing. After one listen, I knew he undoubtedly influenced George Benson. A virtuoso with serious Groove; Chucks idea's are pure ear candy. After one week of listening to "Travelling" & "Morning Mist", I bought both Chucks's "Scales" and "Chords" books-he obviously knows something the rest of us don't.

I had listen to Chuck play since I as a teenager. He was always a lyrical player with a great approach t his subject. No two ways about it he was way ahead of his time. I suggest that all serious Players listen to his take on the standards. He could take a song someone else wrote and make it better this should not be surprising since he started his career with George Shearing, a true genius to the industry.

I read about Chuck Wayne in Vintage Guitar Magazine and like they said I had never heard of him before. I got the CD and was not disappointed at all. He is truly one of the great unknowns.

great guitar

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.

This session has Chuck Wayne playing with Joe Williams on bass and Ronnie Bedford on drums. Both these guys are tremendous. Bedford became Benny Carter's drummer on many of his later/last recordings. Joe Williams died young, but had a big sound and impeccable time. He reminds me of Buster Williams a bit. Anyway, first rate rhythm section. The sound quality of the recording is exceptional, and the playing is intimate, classy, and tight. It's too bad this trio didn't record a few more sessions. This is an excellent jazz guitar trio.

I love great jazz guitar and small combos that interact with each other. I thought I was hip to most guitar giants but I had to read about Wayne and Dennis Budimir in Vintage Guitar Magazine.