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Backstage With …By Ken MicallefAs part of a double headliningbill with Hank Jonesat New York’s Iridium,saxophonist Frank Wesstook part in the club’s“Jazz Masters Salute TheBroadway Masters” seriesthroughout March. Wesshad just returned fromMilan, where he had beenworking with trombonistSlide Hampton. The saxophonisthas also playedsome U.S. dates supportingOnce Is Not Enough(Labeth Music), his firstnonet recording.FrankWessWhy did you record anonet now?I always like that combinationbecause you cansound small, you cansound big, you can soundlike a big band, or like asmall band. You’ve got a lotof choices. And with thedoubles on different instrumentsit gives you evenmore room to move.JACK VARTOOGIAN/FRONTROWPHOTOSDo you write differently for a nonet weeks at the Club Sudan in Harlem withthan a sextet or octet?Billy, at 136th Street and Lennox Avenue.Not really. It’s how you arrange and voice We’ve recorded together off and on. Weit. Tryin’ To Make My Blues Turn Green can always get together, we listen to eachwas my earlier octet recording.other. It’s not a problem. Hank does a lotof solo playing so he has a lot of his ownstuff. Jones, he is still playing his ass off.He is beautiful.Will you tour Once Is Not Enough?I hope not! Traveling is much too difficultthese days. The service is worse, theplanes are less reliable; it’s too many peopleand not enough service. You neverknow what’s going to happen. And theyalways want to take your instrument andput it where it’s not safe. They took mysaxophone once and the force of the planelanding bent my whole horn. I couldn’tplay that night on the gig. They don’t care.I had a stewardess pulling on my fluteonce because she didn’t want me put it upoverhead. She’s pulling on my flute. Anddon’t let ’em see a bass, they’ll go crazy.Hank Jones and yourself have beenplaying together in different bands forclose to 60 years.Yes, that’s right, since 1946. We were inBilly Eckstine’s band together. We did nineDo you and he ever reminisce aboutthe old days?A little bit. Hank always remembers thatgig at the Sudan with Billy Eckstine andFats Navarro, who had a habit of jumpingdown off of the trumpet riser when it wastime for his solo. The reeds were on thefloor, then the trombones were higher,then the trumpets were on a riser abovethat. When Fats would come down for hissolo he would jump from the trumpetriser and put his head in Art Blakey’s bassdrum. This time he jumped off the riser—remember, Fats Navarro was a big boy—and when he hit the trombone riser hisleg went right through it! But he stood upand played anyway. Hank always remembersthat.DBAugust 2009 DOWNBEAT 19