To whom does one belong?

Yesterday’s Rifftides post Good Old Good Ones: Davis and Tjader includes the following tidbit:

In a pickup date while he and his bassist Eugene Wright were in Hollywood, Tjader brought in pianist Gerald Wiggins and drummer Bill Douglass. Everything clicked.

My tongue-in-cheek heading “to whom does one belong?” refers to Eugene Wright (a/k/a The Senator) being referred to as “his bassist,” meaning Tjader’s bassist. What was not mentioned was a small fact that gives “but of course” understanding to why “everything clicked” — Bill Douglas was Wig’s drummer and they’d been working together alot in the few years leading up to the Tjader recording. Here’s a snippet from my Gerry Wiggins bio:

Not only was Wig in demand as a sideman to play and record with jazz legends such as Milt Jackson, Art Pepper, Cal Tjader, Benny Carter and others, but during that same period he also recorded several albums as leader of his own trio. Wig’s first trio album, aptly titled “The Gerald Wiggins Trio,” was released in 1953. Wig, along with bassist Joe Comfort and drummer Bill Douglass recorded six standard tunes and two of Wig’s own original compositions. This same trio also recorded “The Loveliness of You” (Tampa, 1956). In 1957 both albums were re-released, the first by Dig Records under the title “Wiggin’ With the Wig” and the second by Motif Records under the title “Reminiscin’ with Wig.” Joe Comfort, who was working frequently with Nelson Riddle at the time, was not always available. On a date with Cal Tjader, Wig had met and worked with bassist Eugene Wright. Eugene may be best known for his later work with Dave Brubeck, but his musical contributions as a member of the Gerald Wiggins Trio were thankfully recorded on two albums: “Around the World in 80 Days” (Original Jazz) came out in 1957 (some sources say 1956) and “The King and I” came out in 1958 on Challenge Records.

The original liner notes for Around The World In 80 Days by John Tynan include this:

“By dint of many hours playing together, they have fused into a brotherly groove, the common bond of which is a mutual desire to “always keep it swingin’.”

So Eugene was Tjader’s bassist, Wig’s bassist, and Brubeck’s bassist, to name a few from the top of the list. Now, thanks to reissues, these groups all belong to us. Check them out.

PS: Writer Scott Yanow pronounced this recording “pleasant and swinging but predictably lightweight and not too substantial.” I know I am biased, but I love these recordings, so you’ll just have to decide for yourself. Amazon (use the link above) has audio clips for the 80 Days CD, as does allmusic.com.