''Two at the Top'' is an album by saxophonist/flautist Frank Wess and flugelhornist
Johnny Coles
John Coles (July 3, 1926 – December 21, 1997) was an American jazz trumpeter.
Early life
Coles was born in Trenton, New Jersey on July 3, 1926. He grew up in Philadelphia and was self-taught on trumpet.
Later life and career
Coles spent his ...
, recorded and released on the Uptown label in 1983. The original album was rereleased on CD in 2012 along with one additional number and five alternate takes and a bonus live disc recorded in 1988.
Reception
The
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 databa ...
review by Ken Dryden said "''Two at the Top'' is one of the label's finest releases, a session pairing Frank Wess and the unjustly neglected Johnny Coles, accompanied by a potent rhythm section Highly recommended". On ''
All About Jazz
''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...
'' Marc Myers called it "a powerfully superb jazz album".Myers, M All About Jazz Review accessed May 9, 2018
Rodgers Grant
Rodgers Lee Grant (January 18, 1936 – April 12, 2012) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and lyricist. After working with saxophonist Hugo Dickens in the 1950s, he became pianist for Mongo Santamaría in the 1960s. In 1963, Grant wrote the ...
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, ...
Ted Koehler
Ted L. Koehler (July 14, 1894 – January 17, 1973) was an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.
Life and career
Koehler was born in 1894 in Washington, D.C.
He started out as a photo-engraver, but w ...
) – 6:36
# "Stablemates" ( Benny Golson) – 6:12
# "An Oscar for Oscar" (Dorham) – 4:21
# "A Blue Time" (
Tadd Dameron
Tadley Ewing Peake Dameron (February 21, 1917 – March 8, 1965) was an American jazz composer, arranger, and pianist.
Biography
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Dameron was the most influential arranger of the bebop era, but also wrote charts for swin ...
) – 6:53 Additional track on CD release
# "An Oscar for Oscar" ake One(Dorham) – 4:21 Additional track on CD release
# "Stablemates" ake One(Golson) – 5:05 Additional track on CD release
# "Minority" ake One(Gryce) – 5:10 Additional track on CD release
# "Whistle Stop" ake One(Dorham) – 4:40 Additional track on CD release
# "Morning Star" ake One(Grant) – 5:38 Additional track on CD release
''Disc Two: Live at Yoshi's 1988''
# "One for Amos" ( Sam Jones) – 14:37
# "If You Can't Call, Don't Come ka Don't Come, Don't Call (Frank Wess) – 9:25
# "Morning Star" (Grant) – 9:03
# "Minority" (Gryce) – 12:09
# "Blues for David" ( Charles "Buddy" Montgomery) – 15:03
*Recorded at
Yoshi's
Yoshi's (also known as Yoshi's Jazz Club and Yoshi's Oakland) is a nightclub located in Jack London Square in Oakland, California, United States. The venue originally opened in 1972 as a restaurant in Berkeley, later moving to Claremont Avenu ...
, Oakland, CA on January 15, 1988
Personnel
* Frank Wess – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute
*
Johnny Coles
John Coles (July 3, 1926 – December 21, 1997) was an American jazz trumpeter.
Early life
Coles was born in Trenton, New Jersey on July 3, 1926. He grew up in Philadelphia and was self-taught on trumpet.
Later life and career
Coles spent his ...
Larry Grenadier
Larry Grenadier (born February 6, 1966 in San Francisco) is an American jazz double bassist.
Early life
Grenadier's father, Albert, was a trumpet player, and his two brothers, Phil and Steve, play trumpet and guitar, respectively. Grenadier be ...