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Paul Quinichette

Many men tried, but Paul Quinichette was the most successful at emulating the style of Lester Young. (Young called him "Lady Q", a term not exactly meant at as a compliment.) With a nice smoky tone, Quinichette worked with many great musicians, and played on some of the earliest tribute albums. If he is somewhat forgotten today, it may because the tenor style he followed is currently out of favor. That fact does not lessen his music, some of which is remarkable. Paul Quinichette grew up in Denver and started young with the saxophone, and attended Tennessee State College as a music major. Beginning on alto and clarinet, he switched to tenor as he began to get work with R&B bands. He toured with Jay McShann for two years (1942-44), and then did similar stints with Louis Jordan and Henry "Red" Allen. He moved to New York around 1946. His big break came in 1953, when he was hired by Count Basie … to play solos in the style of Lester Young. He played this role exceptionally, to the point of copying Young’s mannerisms. It earned him a contract with Emarcy Records, a series of fine albums (including one with Lester himself) and a certain level of fame, albeit minor. Three of his recordings were directly on a Basie theme as; “For Basie,” “Basie Reunion,” and “Like Basie.” When he wasn’t "playing Lester", Quinichette had an agreeably gruff tone, which served him well on his ’57 effort “Cattin’ with Quinichette and Coltrane.” Though this is considered his best effort, sadly, this disc would be among his last; as hard-bop became the dominant style, Quinichette found it increasingly difficult to ply his trade. He left jazz entirely in the late Fifties, working in New York as an electrical contractor. In 1977 he attempted a comeback, producing a few more albums; and spent some time playing with pianist Jay McShann. But poor health forced him to retire again, and he died in 1983. His music is worthy of more attention he may not have been innovative, but was always entertaining. Bio in part from jazzimprov.


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Liner Notes

Paul Quinichette: Like Basie

Read "Paul Quinichette: Like Basie" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan


Like any business concerned with making a profit, the record industry has often resorted to questionable concepts, tributes, or other hooks to lure more costumers to their product. Currently we find ourselves in an era where the quality of original music is arguably on the decline, thus it has become even more prevalent to use nostalgia as a selling point. While ghost bands and one-off tributes may be a way to bring a new audience to the music of some ...

272
Album Review

Paul Quinichette & His Basie-ites: Like Basie

Read "Like Basie" reviewed by Nic Jones


Like Basie has already seen the light of day in the CD era as an OJC release, but given its qualities, its reappearance here is welcome anyway. Paul Quinichette's career was perhaps more dogged than aided by the lazy “Vice-Pres" tag that was placed upon him because of his stylistic allegiance to Lester Young. As ever the details of the matter were somewhat different. His work was in fact rhythmically far less oblique, whilst the timbre of his playing was ...

184
Album Review

Paul Quinichette (: The Vice Pres

Read "The Vice Pres" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan


Although much has been said and written to suggest that tenor man Paul Quinichette was merely a Lester Young clone, down to the “Vice Pres’ that became his moniker, the fact remains that Quinichette was really a vital player who just happened to work a few of Young’s more popular devices into his own vernacular. While his Prestige albums with Coltrane and his own Basie-styled dates for same form the core of his precious work on record, the material assembled ...

224
Album Review

Paul Quinichette: Basie Reunion

Read "Basie Reunion" reviewed by Derek Taylor


The Count Basie Band in all its multiplicity of incarnations was, and still is, a jazz institution. From its Kansas City beginnings to its various resurgences after the Count’s passing into the great jazz hereafter it’s held a stature rivaling that of the Ellington dynasty. Back in 58’ when this session was waxed Basie was still among the living and it was a common occurrence for his sidemen old and new to stage reunion’s honoring their bandleader. The second of ...

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Music Industry

Backgrounder: Paul Quinichette: Moods, 1954

Backgrounder: Paul Quinichette: Moods, 1954

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Mercury Records began as a Chicago R&B label in 1945, shortly after the first musicians union recording ban was settled. As the LP business took off in the early 1950s, Mercury became a mainstream pop label, launching EmArcy to handle its jazz business. Run by Bob Shad, EmArcy began production in 1954 by recording Dinah Washington's Dinah Jams; Erroll Garner's Contrasts; and Clifford Brown, Maynard Ferguson and Clark Terry's Jam Session. EmArcy's fourth album of 1954 was Moods, by Paul ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Like Basie

Mighty Quinn Productions
2006

buy

Basie Reunion

Soul Note
2000

buy

The Vice Pres

Verve Music Group
2000

buy

Basie Reunions

Soul Note
1982

buy

For Basie

Soul Note
1963

buy

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