Jack Walrath
Encyclopedia
Jack Walrath is an American
post-bop
jazz
trumpeter and musical arranger known for his work with Ray Charles
, Gary Peacock
, Charles Mingus
and Glenn Ferris
, among others.
Walrath began playing the trumpet at the age of nine in 1955 while living in the small town of Edgar, Montana. He attributes his wide range of musical appreciation to a “lack of negative peer pressure which so often happens in cities.”. In 1964 Walrath graduated from Joliet High School and attended the Berklee College of Music
. He pursued a composition diploma program instead of a full degree program so that he could concentrate specifically upon music classes. During his Berklee years he backed a number of R&B singers in the Boston and Cambridge areas and gigged with his fellow students. While in Boston he worked in the band Change with bassist Gary Peacock. Walrath graduated from the Berklee program in 1968.
In 1969 Walrath relocated to the West Coast and found work in Los Angeles’ jazz scene. Soon he was a member of the band Revival, with trombonist Glenn Ferris
, and the West Coast Motown Orchestra. An opportunity soon arose to work with the legendary Ray Charles
, with whom Walrath did one tour of the United States. By 1970 the openings for jazz musicians in Los Angeles began to dry up, and Walrath relocated again to New York City.
Walrath spent the next several years working with mainstream and Latin jazz bands. In 1974 Walrath was working in the band of saxophonist Paul Jeffrey
when the leader introduced him to bassist Charles Mingus
, a pioneer of bebop and post-bop jazz who was experiencing a career resurgence. Baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett
had recently left Mingus’ band, and Walrath was eager to fill the opening. He joined tenor saxophonist George Adams
, pianist Don Pullen
and drummer Dannie Richmond
in the quintet, which was acclaimed as one of Mingus’ finest ensembles and broke new ground by leaning towards free jazz and non-chordal improvisations. Aside from Richmond, who had worked with Mingus off and on since the 1950s, Walrath enjoyed the longest unbroken tenure of any Mingus sideman. He made music with the bassist up until Mingus’ death in 1979. The primary albums of interest from Walrath’s tenure with Mingus are Changes One
and Changes Two
, both recorded for Atlantic Records
in 1974. The latter album features Walrath’s composition “Black Bats and Poles” (originally entitled “Rats and Moles” until Mingus decided it needed a darker name). Walrath has extended the Mingus legacy through his work with Mingus Dynasty
, a mid-sized tribute band, and the Charles Mingus Big Band coordinated by Mingus’ widow, Sue Graham Mingus.
Walrath has been a sideman for Muhal Richard Abrams
, Ricky Ford
, Sam Rivers
, Joe Morello
, Miles Davis
, Quincy Jones
, Ray Anderson
, Craig Harris
, Pete LaRoca, Mike Longo
, Elvis Costello
, Larry Willis
, George Gruntz
, Gunther Schuller
, Hal Galper
, Bobby Watson
, Richie Cole
and others. He has worked with the WDR Big Band, the Jazz Tribe and the Charli Persip Superband. Walrath's appeal was summed up by reviewer David Grogan: "Like Mingus, Walrath delights in rich melodic nuances and colors, with blue notes stretched amid bursts of rhythmic energy."
Ensembles under Walrath’s own leadership have included The Jack Walrath Group, Wholly Trinity, Hard Corps, The Masters of Suspense, and The Jack Walrath Quintet. In 1987 Walrath received a Grammy nomination for a cover of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (on the album Master of Suspense) featuring Willie Nelson
. His compositions have been performed and recorded by Hamiet Bluiett
, Red Rodney
, Larry Willis
, Mike Clark, Cecil Brooks III
, Ray Mantilla
, Hank Jones
, Zé Eduardo
, and the Manhattan New Music Project. His television scores include Homicide: Life on the Streets.
Walrath has received composition grants from the National Endowment for the Arts
, the Aaron Copland
Composition Grant and the Mary Flagler Cary Trust, and performance grants from the NEA and Quad City Arts. He has had compositions and arrangements commissioned for virtually every instrumental combination from symphony orchestra to solo piano. He has conducted seminars, master classes, music camps and clinics in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Israel, Finland and across the United States. Walrath has also written an instruction book, 20 Melodic Jazz Studies for Trumpet (published by Advance Music), and is currently working on an autobiography, CD and record guide.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
post-bop
Post-bop
Post-bop is a term for a form of small-combo jazz music that evolved in the early-to-mid sixties. The genre's origins lie in seminal work by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trumpeter and musical arranger known for his work with Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Gary Peacock
Gary Peacock
Gary Peacock is an American jazz double-bassist.-Biography:After military service in Germany, in the early sixties he worked on the west coast with Barney Kessel, Bud Shank, Paul Bley and Art Pepper, then moved to New York. He worked there with Bley, the Bill Evans trio , and Albert Ayler's trio...
, Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
and Glenn Ferris
Glenn Ferris
Glenn Ferris is a jazz trombonist who has also worked in other fields. Outside of jazz he has played for Frank Zappa, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Duran Duran, and others....
, among others.
Walrath began playing the trumpet at the age of nine in 1955 while living in the small town of Edgar, Montana. He attributes his wide range of musical appreciation to a “lack of negative peer pressure which so often happens in cities.”. In 1964 Walrath graduated from Joliet High School and attended the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
. He pursued a composition diploma program instead of a full degree program so that he could concentrate specifically upon music classes. During his Berklee years he backed a number of R&B singers in the Boston and Cambridge areas and gigged with his fellow students. While in Boston he worked in the band Change with bassist Gary Peacock. Walrath graduated from the Berklee program in 1968.
In 1969 Walrath relocated to the West Coast and found work in Los Angeles’ jazz scene. Soon he was a member of the band Revival, with trombonist Glenn Ferris
Glenn Ferris
Glenn Ferris is a jazz trombonist who has also worked in other fields. Outside of jazz he has played for Frank Zappa, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Duran Duran, and others....
, and the West Coast Motown Orchestra. An opportunity soon arose to work with the legendary Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, with whom Walrath did one tour of the United States. By 1970 the openings for jazz musicians in Los Angeles began to dry up, and Walrath relocated again to New York City.
Walrath spent the next several years working with mainstream and Latin jazz bands. In 1974 Walrath was working in the band of saxophonist Paul Jeffrey
Paul Jeffrey
Paul Jeffrey is an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and educator born in New York City. Perhaps best known for performing with Thelonious Monk from 1970–1975, Jeffrey also worked with musicians including Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Lionel Hampton, B.B...
when the leader introduced him to bassist Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
, a pioneer of bebop and post-bop jazz who was experiencing a career resurgence. Baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett
Hamiet Bluiett
Hamiet Bluiett is an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. His primary instrument is the baritone saxophone, and he is considered one of the finest living players of this instrument...
had recently left Mingus’ band, and Walrath was eager to fill the opening. He joined tenor saxophonist George Adams
George Adams (musician)
George Rufus Adams was an American jazz musician who played tenor saxophone, flute and bass clarinet. He is best known for his work with Charles Mingus, Gil Evans, Roy Haynes and in the quartet he co-led with pianist Don Pullen, featuring bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Dannie Richmond...
, pianist Don Pullen
Don Pullen
Don Pullen was an American jazz pianist and organist. Pullen developed a strikingly individual style throughout his career. He composed masterworks ranging from blues to bebop and modern jazz...
and drummer Dannie Richmond
Dannie Richmond
Dannie Richmond was an American drummer who was best known among jazz fans for his work with Charles Mingus, and among pop fans for his work with Joe Cocker, Elton John and Mark-Almond....
in the quintet, which was acclaimed as one of Mingus’ finest ensembles and broke new ground by leaning towards free jazz and non-chordal improvisations. Aside from Richmond, who had worked with Mingus off and on since the 1950s, Walrath enjoyed the longest unbroken tenure of any Mingus sideman. He made music with the bassist up until Mingus’ death in 1979. The primary albums of interest from Walrath’s tenure with Mingus are Changes One
Changes One (Mingus)
Changes One is a 1974 album by jazz composer and bassist Charles Mingus.- Remember Rockefeller at Attica :This track is dedicated to the Attica Prison Riots of 1971 and the Governor of New York State at that time, Nelson Rockefeller.- Devil Blues :The lyrics are by Clarence Gatemouth Brown, but...
and Changes Two
Changes Two
Changes Two is an album by Charles Mingus. It was recorded on 27, 28, and 30 December 1974 at Atlantic Studios in New York City—the same sessions which resulted in Mingus' album Changes One. Accordingly, Atlantic Records initially released the record...
, both recorded for Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
in 1974. The latter album features Walrath’s composition “Black Bats and Poles” (originally entitled “Rats and Moles” until Mingus decided it needed a darker name). Walrath has extended the Mingus legacy through his work with Mingus Dynasty
Mingus Dynasty
Mingus Dynasty is an album by Charles Mingus, recorded and released in 1959, and was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.- Track listing :All compositions by Charles Mingus except where noted.# "Slop"# "Diane"# "Song With Orange"...
, a mid-sized tribute band, and the Charles Mingus Big Band coordinated by Mingus’ widow, Sue Graham Mingus.
Walrath has been a sideman for Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams is an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the Free jazz medium. Abrams compresses both contemporary and traditional ideas into lean, elegant pieces.- Biography :Abrams attended DuSable High School in Chicago...
, Ricky Ford
Ricky Ford
Ricky Ford is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Ford was born in Boston and studied at the New England Conservatory. In 1974 he recorded with Gunther Schuller and then played in the Duke Ellington Orchestra under Mercer Ellington from 1974 to 1976...
, Sam Rivers
Sam Rivers
Samuel Carthorne Rivers , is an American jazz musician and composer. He performs on soprano and tenor saxophones, bass clarinet, flute, harmonica and piano....
, Joe Morello
Joe Morello
Joseph Albert Morello was a jazz drummer best known for his 12½-year stint with The Dave Brubeck Quartet. He was frequently noted for playing in the unusual time signatures employed by that group in such pieces as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo à la Turk"...
, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, Ray Anderson
Ray Anderson
Ray Anderson may refer to:*Ray Anderson , light heavyweight boxer*Ray Anderson *Ray Anderson , jazz trombone and trumpet player...
, Craig Harris
Craig S. Harris (trombonist)
Craig S. Harris is a Jazz trombonist and composer who has been a major figure in the jazz avant-garde movement since his stint with Sun Ra in 1976. Subsequently, Harris has worked with such notable jazz artists as Abdullah Ibrahim, David Murray, Lester Bowie, Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers, Muhal...
, Pete LaRoca, Mike Longo
Mike Longo
Michael Josef "Mike" Longo is a jazz pianist, composer, and author. He is most known for his work with Dizzy Gillespie.-Early life:...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Larry Willis
Larry Willis
Lawrence Elliott Willis is an American jazz pianist and composer. He has performed in a wide range of styles, including jazz fusion rock music, Bebop and Avant-Garde...
, George Gruntz
George Gruntz
George Gruntz is a Swiss jazz pianist, organist, harpsichordist, keyboardist and composer most noteworthy for his work with artists such as Phil Woods, Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Baker, Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin and Mel Lewis.From 1972 to 1994 he served as artistic director for...
, Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller is an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.- Biography and works :...
, Hal Galper
Hal Galper
-Biography:He studied classical piano as a boy, but switched to jazz which he studied at the Berklee College of Music from 1955 to 1958. He hung out at Herb Pomeroy's club, The Stable, hearing local Boston musicians like Jackie Byard, Alan Dawson and Sam Rivers. Galper started sitting in and became...
, Bobby Watson
Bobby Watson
Bobby Watson is an American post-bop jazz alto saxophonist, composer, producer, and educator. Watson now has 26 recordings as a leader. He appears on nearly 100 other recordings as either co-leader or in a supporting role...
, Richie Cole
Richie Cole
Richard Cole was an Australian rules footballer for the Collingwood and Essendon Football Clubs in the Australian Football League....
and others. He has worked with the WDR Big Band, the Jazz Tribe and the Charli Persip Superband. Walrath's appeal was summed up by reviewer David Grogan: "Like Mingus, Walrath delights in rich melodic nuances and colors, with blue notes stretched amid bursts of rhythmic energy."
Ensembles under Walrath’s own leadership have included The Jack Walrath Group, Wholly Trinity, Hard Corps, The Masters of Suspense, and The Jack Walrath Quintet. In 1987 Walrath received a Grammy nomination for a cover of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (on the album Master of Suspense) featuring Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
. His compositions have been performed and recorded by Hamiet Bluiett
Hamiet Bluiett
Hamiet Bluiett is an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. His primary instrument is the baritone saxophone, and he is considered one of the finest living players of this instrument...
, Red Rodney
Red Rodney
Robert Roland Chudnick , who performed by the stage name Red Rodney, was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
, Larry Willis
Larry Willis
Lawrence Elliott Willis is an American jazz pianist and composer. He has performed in a wide range of styles, including jazz fusion rock music, Bebop and Avant-Garde...
, Mike Clark, Cecil Brooks III
Cecil Brooks III
Cecil Brooks III is an American jazz drummer who has worked with, among others, Marvin Peterson, Andrew Hill, Arthur Blythe, Russell Gunn, Etta Jones and Jimmy Ponder....
, Ray Mantilla
Ray Mantilla
Raymond Mantilla is an American jazz drummer. He has played as a session musician and toured with some of the most significant jazz musicians of his time...
, Hank Jones
Hank Jones
Henry "Hank" Jones was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA Jazz Masters Award...
, Zé Eduardo
Zé Eduardo
José Eduardo Bischofe de Almeida or simply Zé Eduardo , is a Brazilian striker. He currently plays for Serie A side Genoa.-Career:After playing for several teams...
, and the Manhattan New Music Project. His television scores include Homicide: Life on the Streets.
Walrath has received composition grants from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, the Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
Composition Grant and the Mary Flagler Cary Trust, and performance grants from the NEA and Quad City Arts. He has had compositions and arrangements commissioned for virtually every instrumental combination from symphony orchestra to solo piano. He has conducted seminars, master classes, music camps and clinics in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Israel, Finland and across the United States. Walrath has also written an instruction book, 20 Melodic Jazz Studies for Trumpet (published by Advance Music), and is currently working on an autobiography, CD and record guide.
As leader
- Demons in Pursuit, Gatemouth Records, 1979
- In Montana, Labor Records, 1980
- Revenge of the Fat People, Stash Records, 1981
- In Europe, Steeplechase Records, 1982
- A Plea for Sanity, Stash Records, 1982
- At the Umbria Jazz Festival, Vols. 1 and 2, RED Distribution, 1983
- Killer Bunnies, Spotlite Records, 1986
- Wholly Trinity, Muse Records, 1986
- Master of Suspense, Blue Note Records, 1986
- Neohippus, Blue Note Records, 1988
- Out of the Tradition, Muse Records, 1990
- Gut Feelings, Muse Records, 1990
- Portraits in Ivory and Brass, Mapleshade Records, 1992
- Serious Hang, Muse Records, 1992
- Hi Jinx, Stash Records, 1994
- Journey, Man!, Evidence Records, 1995
- Hip Gnosis, TCB Records, 1996
- Solidarity, Act Records, 1996
- Sonage by Duplexus, Rara Records, 2000
- Get Hit in Your Soul, Act Records, 2000
- Invasion of the Booty Shakers, Savant, 2001
- Ballroom, Steeplechase Records, 2008
- Heavy Mirth, Steeplechase Records, 2008
- Forsooth, Steeplechase Records, 2011
As sideman
- The King Arrives, King Errisson, Canyon Records, 1970
- Changes One, Charles Mingus, Atlantic Records, 1974
- Changes Two, Charles Mingus, Atlantic Records, 1974
- Three or Four Shades of Blues, Charles Mingus, Atlantic Records, 1977
- Lionel Hampton Presents Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus, Who’s Who in Jazz Records, 1977
- Cumbia and Jazz Fusion, Charles Mingus, Atlantic Records, 1978
- Live at the Village Vanguard, Red Rodney, Muse Records, 1980
- Live at Montreux, Mingus Dynasty, Collectables Records, 1980
- Dannie Richmond Plays Charles Mingus, Dannie Richmond, Timeless Records, 1980
- Tenor for the Times, Ricky Ford, Muse Records, 1981
- Something Like a Bird, Charles Mingus, Atlantic Records, rec. 1979, issued 1981
- Dannie Richmond Quintet, Dannie Richmond, Gatemouth Records, 1981
- Sax Maniac, James White, Warner Brothers Records, 1982
- Dionysius, Dannie Richmond, Gatemouth Records, 1983
- In Case You Missed It, Charli Persip Superband, Soul Note, 1984
- No Dummies Allowed, Charli Persip Superband, Soul Note, 1987
- Give the Drummer Some, Mike Clark, Stash Records, 1989
- Hearinga Suite, Muhal Richard Abrams, Black Saint Records, 1989
- At Last, Lou Rawls, Blue Note Records, 1989
- The Jazz Tribe, Jazz Tribe, RED Distribution, 1990
- Blu Blu Blu, Muhal Richard Abrams, Black Saint Records, 1991
- Miles & Quincy: Live at Montreux, Miles Davis and Quincy Jones, Warner Brothers Records, 1991
- Beyond Another Wall: Live in China, George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band, TCB Records, 1992
- Blues and the Abstract Truth, Suzanne Pittson, Vineland Records, 1992
- Blues Mission, Pee Wee Ellis, Gramavision Records, 1992
- Why I Like Coffee, Bob Nell, New World Records, 1992
- Mood Swing, Manhattan New Music Project, Soul Note Records, 1992
- Rush HourRush Hour (Joe Lovano album)Rush Hour is an album by the American jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano featuring an orchestra arranged and conducted by Gunther Schuller recorded in 1994 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:...
, Joe LovanoJoe LovanoJoseph Salvatore "Joe" Lovano is a post bop jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist, and drummer. Since the late 1980s, Lovano has been one of the world's premiere tenor saxophone players, earning a Grammy award and several nods on Down Beat magazine's critics' and readers' polls...
(Blue Note 1994)