Julius Wechter - Quartet & Quintet 1956-1957 · Jazz:west and Intro Sessions (2023)

Julius Wechter played vibes in a combo that won first place at the initial Festival of Inter-collegiate Jazz in April of 1954 sponsored by Howard Rumsey at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach. Saxophonist Cy Colley was part of that combo and joined Wechter as they formed a quartet to play clubs in Los Angeles after graduating from Los Angeles City College.

Herb Kimmel heard the quartet and recorded them for his Jazz:West label in 1956. The resulting album, Linear Sketches, JWLP-9, was awarded three and a half stars in Nat Hentoff’s review of the albumin Down Beat. Herb Kimmel departed the jazz scene after recording his last album, The Return of Art Pepper, JWLP-10, in August of 1956.

Don Clark was hired as director of A&R to continue the jazz line as Intro Records for the parent company handling distribution for Jazz:West, Aladdin Records. Clark produced several albums for the new label including a second album by Julius Wechter that reached the test pressing stage before Aladdin terminated the jazz line. The aborted album showcases the recording debut of guitarist, Dennis Budimir, who continued to forge an impressive jazz career with Harry James, Chico Hamilton, Bobby Troup, and Bud Shank to name a few.

Wechter replaced Arthur Lyman in Martin Denny’s exotica ensemble in 1958 where he played vibes, marimba, percussion, and continued to compose original music for Denny’s group. A chance studio gig playing marimbas on Herb Alpert’s first Tijuana Brass albumin 1962, The Lonely Bull, led to joining the Tijuana Brass and later creating a spin-off, the Baja Marimba Band.

—James A. Harrod