The Jazz Chain – Link 4: Wilbur Ware

Time for our fourth link in The Jazz Chain. This time we’ve got an intriguing bassist for our consideration. Wilbur Ware, had a 30+ year career and in that time he recorded with some of the best and most interesting performers of the time including Sun Ra, Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, Lee Morgan and the great Thelonious Monk.1One of the albums Ware played on for Monk, Monk’s Music, is an absolute masterpiece, it’s not the feature album this week, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t recommend you make sure to give it a listen. An absolute all star lineup including Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins and others. Not to be missed! This album though, was the only album he led himself.2Though I’ve seen Johnny Griffin given equal billing in some releases most sources seem to agree this was Ware’s album.

The Chicago Sound – Wilbur Ware – 1957

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