Frank Wess Quartet - Frank Wess Quartet

As with most successful ideas, the formula for the Prestige series of Moodsville albums was uncomplicated: Combine good musicians with good ballads to produce music that is not only easy to listen to, but also aesthetically satisfying.

Frank Wess was a perfect choice for intelligent mood music. Wess treated this collection of great songs with his composer’s sensibility, his taste, and his command of the basic jazz values. We hear him on both flute and tenor saxophone. Wess is accompanied by the great pianist Tommy Flanagan; Eddie Jones, his stalwart bassist colleague from the Count Basie band; and the strong, subtle drumming of Bobby Donaldson. Together, they plumb the possibilities in a handful of classic standard songs in a way that proves that mood music needn’t always be slow and dreamy. Adding an original composition, "Rainy Afternoon," Wess uses the blues to elevate the mood.