CiTR

Trombonist Matthew Gee is our Jazz Feature artist and the third in this month's presentation of great and near-great Jazz players who operated under the radar. In Matthew's case it was because he only recorded two albums under his name and the other one was a co-leadership with tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin. Tonight's Feature is all Matthew and it's his first. It was recorded for the then new Riverside label in 1956 and it remains a rare item. It is in two sessions with two different bands. Trombonist Gee had a long career in Jazz and played with Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons. Illinois Jacquet and Lou Donaldson plus tenures with the big bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. The first session contains three Gee originals with an all-star group with Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Frank Foster on tenor saxophone and Cecil Payne on baritone and Mr. Gee on trombone and Joe Knight on piano, John Simmons on bass and Arthur Taylor on drums. The second session is looser and is mostly standard tunes with Mr. Gee leading Ernie Henry on alto saxophone, Joe Knight on piano, the great Wilbur Ware on bass and again Arthur Taylor on drums. No nonsense Jazz is this. "Jazz By Gee!"