Wilbur Ware - The Chicago Sound (Remastered, 2023) [Hi-Res]

Ware is best known for his work with the Thelonious Monk quartet in 1957-58 and for his live recordings with the Sonny Rollins Trio at the Village Vanguard. Ware’s exceptional timing, economic placement of notes combined with an adroit use of space and time in ensemble playing with Monk was perfectly suited to the pianist’s music. Perhaps the best illustration of this is Ware’s inter-play with Monk on “Off Minor” (Take 5) as Monk and Ware create a piano-bass dialog that increasingly builds a tension that is at last resolved with Ware’s highly creative and angular extended bass solo that remains one of the finest ever recorded in modern jazz. Ware’s unique ability to interpret Monk compositions, combined with his impeccable, and swinging sense of time and his percussive attack, perhaps made Ware the most perfectly suited bassist ever to work with Monk. Ware and fellow bassist Israel Crosby were leading examples of the more laid-back “Chicago Sound” approach to the bass during the 1950s.
"Bassist Wilbur Ware's only recording as a leader (which has been reissued on CD) mostly features Chicago musicians. Although Ware heads the set and contributed two originals, he does not dominate the music and delegated plenty of solo space to altoist John Jenkins (who also brought in two tunes), tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, and pianist Junior Mance; Wilbur Campbell or Frank Dunlop on drums complete the group. This fine hard bop date (which also has versions of "Body and Soul," Stuff Smith's "Desert Sands," "Lullaby of the Leaves," and "The Man I Love") was a fine debut by Ware. It seems strange that in his remaining 20-plus years the bassist never led another album." (Scott Yanow, AMG)