Willis Jackson - Gentle Gator (1995)

Gentle Gator is a compilation album by American jazz saxophonist Willis "Gator" Jackson, released in 1995 by Prestige Records. The album showcases the "mellow" side of Jackson, who was primarily known as a high-energy "honker" and rhythm and blues tenor man. The collection features recordings from 1961 and 1962, focusing on "deep soul ballads" and "caressing blue ballads". It includes tracks originally released on his Prestige albums like In My Solitude (Moodsville, Vol. 17), Really Groovin' (Prestige 7196), Neopolitan Nights (Prestige 7264) and Shuckin' (Prestige 7260). Jackson is joined by notable sidemen including pianists Tommy Flanagan and Richard Wyands, guitarists Kenny Burrell and Bucky Pizzarelli, bassists Peck Morrison and Wendell Marshall, Drummers Mickey Roker and Gus Johnson, conga player Juan Amalbert, along with a myriad of other fine musicians. Overall, this album captures Jackson's ability to render "ravishing" and "enchanted" balladry. 

Prestige Records, PRCD-24158-2, 1995
Recorded 11th April, 1961 (#1,2,4,10-12) [My Solitude]
Recorded 10th January, 1961 (#3,6-8) [Really Groovin']
Recorded 19th December, 1962 (#5) [Neopolitan Nights]
Recorded 30th October, 1962 (#9) [Shuckin'] 

Musicians:
Willis Jackson - Tenor Sax
Richard Wyands - Piano (#1,2,4,10-12)
Jimmy Neeley - Piano (#3,6-8)
Gildo Mahones - Piano (#5)
Tommy Flanagan - Piano (#9)
Bucky Pizzarelli - Guitar (#5)
Kenny Burrell - Guitar (#9)
Peck Morrison - Bass (#1,2,4,10-12)
Wendell Marshall - Bass (#3,6-8)
George Tucker - Bass (#5)
Eddie Calhoun - Bass (#9)
Mickey Roker - Drums (#1,2,4,10-12)
Gus Johnson - Drums (#3,6-8)
Bobby Donaldson - Drums (#5)
Roy Haynes - Drums (#9)
Juan Amalbert - Congas (#3,6-9)
Montego Joe - Congas (#5), Percussion (#9)
Jose Paulo - Percussion (#9) 

Tracks:
01. Solitude {Duke Ellington, Eddie Delange, Irving Mills} (5:04)
02. Estrellita {Manuel María Ponce Cuéllar} (4:10)
03. Girl Of My Dreams {Sunny Clapp} (6:36)
04. It Never Entered My Mind {Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart} (4:01)
05. Al Di La {Carlo Donida} (4:46)
06. Careless Love {Traditional} (4:24)
07. I Remember Clifford {Benny Golson} (3:48)
08. Again {Dorcas Cochran, Lionel Newman} (4:05)
09. Amor {Gabriel Ruiz, Ricardo Lopez Mendez} (7:48)
10. Nancy [With The Laughing Face] {Jimmy Van Heusen, Phil Silvers} (5:22)
11. Home {Geoffrey Clarkson, Harry Clarkson, Peter Van Steeden} (5:10)
12. They Didn't Believe Me {Jerome Kern, Michael E. Rourke} (3:37) 

Total Time: 58:51 

Credits:
Supervisor - Esmond Edwards (#1-4,6-8,10-12)
Supervisor - Ozzie Cadena (#5,9)
Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Digital Remastering - Phil De Lancie
Compilation, Liner Notes - Bob Porter
Art Direction - Phil Carroll
Liner Notes - Sidney Falco

LINK

It Never Entered My Mind

Willis Jackson - In My Solitude (1961) [vinyl]

One of the rarest Willis Jackson albums of the 60s - recorded for the smaller Moodsville subsidiary of Prestige, and done in a dreamy late nite mode that's quite different from some of Jackson's other sets! The group is a quartet with Richard Wyands on piano - offering a starker, darker backing than Willis received on his organ-based albums for Prestige - a sound that allows Jackson to open up in these mellow and introspective solos, blown out of sadness into the darkness - with a tone and sound that seems to know no bottom. The set is recorded with a nice use of echo that seems to enforce this quality - and titles include "It Never Entered My Mind", "Home", "They Didn't Believe Me", "Estrellita", and "In My Solitude". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Prestige/Moodsville Records, MVLP 17, 1961

Recorded 10^th January, 1961 (#A4) & 11^th April, 1961 (#A1-A3,B1-B4)
At Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Willis Jackson - Tenor Saxophone

Richard Wyands - Piano (#A1-A3,B1-B4)

Jimmy Neeley - Piano (#A4)

Peck Morrison - Bass (#A1-A3,B1-B4)

Wendell Marshall - Bass (#A4)

Mickey Roker - Drums (#A1-A3,B1-B4)

Gus Johnson - Drums (#A4)

Juan Amalbert - Congas (#A4)

Tracks:

A1. Nobody Knows The Trouble I Seen {Traditional} (4:12)

A2. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child {Traditional} (3:41)

A3. [In My] Solitude {Eddie DeLange, Duke Ellington, Irving Mills} (5:04)

A4. Estrellita {Manuel Ponce} (4:11)

B1. It Never Entered My Mind {Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers} (4:03)

B2. They Didn't Believe Me {Jerome Kern, Michael E. Rourke} (3:38)

B3. Home {Harry Clarkson, Geoffrey Clarkson, Peter van Steeden} (5:11)

B4. Nancy [With The Laughing Face] {James van Heusen, Phil Silvers} (5:23)

Credits:

Producer, Photo - Esmond Edwards

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Design - Don Schlitten
Liner Notes - Sidney Falco

Willis Jackson - Really Groovin' (1961) [vinyl]

A killer batch of tracks from Willis Jackson - recorded in a slightly different format than some of his other work for Prestige! The album features Gatortail in two different piano-based quartets - one with the obscure Jimmy Neely on the keys, the other with the great Richard Wyands riffing things up. Juan Amalbert of the Latin Jazz Quintet plays conga on a number of tracks - giving them that rolling groove that you'd often hear with Gene Ammons or Lou Donaldson during the time, and Jackson more than does his job of matching those two in adapting to the slight Latin tinge of the format. Titles include "Sweet Peter Charleston", "A Twist of The Blues", "Oatmeal", and "He Said She Said I Said". ~ Dusty Groove America.

Prestige Records, PRLP 7196, 1961

Recorded 10^th January (#A1-B3) and 11^th April (#B4), 1961

At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Musicians:

Willis Jackson - Tenor Saxophone

Jimmy Neeley - Piano (#A1-B3)

Richard Wyands - Piano (#B4)

Wendell Marshall - Bass (#A1-B3)

Peck Morrison - Bass (#B4)

Gus Johnson - Drums (#A1-B3)

Mickey Roker - Drums (#B4)

Juan Amalbert - Conga (#A1-B3)

Tracks:

A1. Careless Love {W. C. Handy, Spencer Williams} (4:28)

A2. Oatmeal {Johnny Griffin} (4:28)

A3. I Remember Clifford {Benny Golson} (3:53)

A4. A Twist Of Blues {Willis Jackson} (5:47)

B1. Sweet Peter Charleston {Johnny Griffin} (6:56)

B2. Again {Lionel Newman, Dorcas Cochran} (4:11)

B3. He Said, She Said, I Said {Willis Jackson} (3:58)

B4. Girl Of My Dreams {Sunny Clapp} (6:48)

Credits:

Supervision - Esmond Edwards

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Liner Notes - Joe Goldberg