''The Rat Race Blues'' is an album by American saxophonist

Gigi Gryce Gigi Gryce (born George General Grice Jr.; November 28, 1925 – March 14, 1983), later Basheer Qusim, was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, and educator. While his performing career was relatively short, ...

recorded in 1960 for the New Jazz label.New Jazz Records discography
accessed May 31, 2013

Reception

Harvey Pekar, writing in his four star review in the August 10, 1962 issue of ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' stated: "Gryce's major contributions to jazz have been made as an outstanding composer-arranger. But his writing ability notwithstanding... this is primarily a blowing session."

: August 16, 1962 vol. 29, no. 22

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

reviewer

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...

awarded the album 4 stars stating "The group swings its way through two of Gryce's lesser-known originals and three then-recent obscurities. Interesting and generally fresh straight-ahead jazz."Yanow, S
AllMusic Review
accessed May 31, 2013

Track listing

All compositions by Gigi Gryce except where noted # "The Rat Race Blues" – 6:35 # "Strange Feelin (Sam Finch) – 7:45 # "Boxer's Blues" – 6:58 # "Blues in Bloom" ( Norman Mapp) – 7:44 # "Monday Through Sunday" (Mapp) – 11:09

Personnel

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alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

* Richard Williams –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

Richard Wyands Richard Francis Wyands (July 2, 1928 – September 25, 2019) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, best known for his work as a side-man. Early life Wyands was born in Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the ...

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piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Julian Euell Julian Euell (May 23, 1929 – June 3, 2019) was an American jazz bassist. Euell first began playing bass in 1944, and served in the Army from 1945-47. He played with Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, and Art Taylor in 1947 but quit music from 1949 ...

– bass *

Mickey Roker Granville William "Mickey" Roker (September 3, 1932 – May 22, 2017) was an American jazz drummer. Biography Roker was born into extreme poverty in Miami to Granville (Sr.) and Willie Mae Roker. After his mother died (his father never lived wi ...

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drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rat Race Blues, The 1960 albums Gigi Gryce albums New Jazz Records albums Albums produced by Esmond Edwards Albums recorded at Van Gelder Studio