Wilbur Ware

Wilbur Ware

Source: Washington Post

Born on 8 September 1923 in Chicago, double bassist, Wilbur Ware, taught himself to play drums, banjo and upright bass for church as a youth. He is thought to have made his recording debut in 1939 with Big Bill Broonzy in Chicago. Those tracks for Vocalion and Columbia were 'Let Me Dig It', 'W.P.A. Rag' and 'I'm Going Back to Arkansas' and 'Rider Rider Blues' [Fitzgerald].

'W.P.A. Rag'   Wilbur Ware w Big Bill Broonzy

15 Sep 1938 in Chicago    Matrix C-2325-1   Vocalion 04429

Probable personnel:

Trumpet: Walter Williams   Alto saxophone: Buster Bennett

Piano: Blind Joe Davis   Guitar: Broonzy (vocal)   Bass: Ware

 Composition: Broonzy

'Going Back to Arkansas'   Wilbur Ware w Big Bill Broonzy

15 Sep 1938 in Chicago    Matrix C-2326-1  

See 'Good Time Tonight' on Columbia LP 467247

Probable personnel:

Trumpet: Walter Williams   Alto saxophone: Buster Bennett

Piano: Blind Joe Davis   Guitar: Broonzy (vocal)   Bass: Ware

 Composition: Broonzy

Ware isn't thought to have entered the recording studio again until latter 1949 for the Rondo label with Johnny Perry in Chicago, those tracks: 'Tails and Limas', 'Doggin' Me Blues', 'J.P. Boogie' and 'Got Good News for Ya, Baby'.

'Got Good News for Ya, Baby'   Wilbur Ware w Johnny Perry

Sometime Sep or Oct 1949 in Chicago    Matrix UB9-1194-R   Rondo 1558

Trumpet: Hobart Dotson   Tenor saxophone: E. Parker McDougal

Piano: Johnny Perry (vocal)   Guitar: Ernest Ashley

Bass: Ware   Drums: Charles Williams

 Composition: Horace Homes

Ware's sessions in 1955 are obscure in date. At some time he privately recorded 'Can This Be Love?' with Sun Ra at piano at Sun Ra's apartment in Chicago. That saw release in 2001 on 'Standards'. He also put down 'Piano Interlude' and 'Can This Be Love?' with Sun Ra for Saturn. Those saw issue on 'Deep Purple' in 1973. Come titles for Music Minus One some time that year as well, issued on an unknown date on 'Jazz Rhythm Records - Music Minus One Guitar Vol 3'. 1955 also saw sessions with drummer, Jimmy Chapin, tracks eventually released in 1977 on 'Profile of a Jazz Drummer'.

'Can This Be Love?'   Wilbur Ware (bass) w Sun Ra (piano)

Sometime 1955 at Sun Ra's flat in Chicago

See the compilation 'Toward The Stars'

Discogs

Titles in 1956 with Clifford Brown and Johnny Griffin are of unknown dates as well. The one with Brown was a private session bearing 'Diggin' Diz' eventually released on CD by Philology on an unknown date. That with Griffin resulted in the album, 'Johnny Griffin' (aka 'JG Tenor') issued in 1958. One finally arrives to a session with a date per Art Blakey on June 25, 1956 for 'Lil'T' and 'The New Message (Little T)'. Those would see issue on Blakey's 'Drum Suite' in 1957.

'Drum Suite'   Wilbur Ware w Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers

Album recorded 25 June 1956 in NYC

Trumpet: Donald Byrd / Ira Sullivan (tenor sax)

Piano: Kenny Drew   Bass: Ware   Drums: Blakey

Discogs   Wikipedia

'My One and Only Love'   Wilbur Ware w Rita Reys

25 June 1956 in NYC   Matrix CO56230   Philips 422259PE

Trumpet: Donald Byrd   Tenor sax: Ira Sullivan

Piano: Kenny Drew   Bass: Ware   Drums: Art Blakey

Composition: Guy Wood / Robert Mellin   1953

'Zoot!'   Wilbur Ware w Zoot Sims

Album recorded 13/18 Dec 1956 in NYC   Riverside RLP12-228 / OJC CD228-2 (CD)

Trumpet: Nick Travis   Tenor sax: Sims

Piano: George Handy (arrangements)   Bass: Ware   Drums: Osie Johnson

Among Ware's musical associates the combination of saxophonist, John Coltrane, with pianist, Thelonious Monk, was among the significant. Their first session together was a trio on April 16, 1957, putting down two takes of 'Monk's Mood'. The three would get together again in June in a septet with Art Blakey for two takes of 'Crepuscule with Nellie'. The same septet recorded 'Monk's Music' the next day.

'Monk's Mood'

Wilbur Ware (bass) w John Coltrane (tenor sax) and Thelonious Monk (piano)

16 April 1957 in NYC   See 'Thelonious Himself' on Riverside RLP12-235

Composition: Monk

Discogs

An unknown date in 1957 saw Coltrane, Monk and Ware in a quartet with Shadow Wilson on drums for 'Nutty', Ruby My Dear' and 'Trinkle Tinkle'. It was October 16 of 1957 in New York City that Ware's solitary name album, 'The Chicago Sound', went down with a gang of John Jenkins (alto sax), Johnny Griffin (tenor sax), Junior Mance (piano) and Wilbur Campbell (drums). Come another significant trio on 3 November 1957 with saxophonist, Sonny Rollins, and drummer, Elvin Jones, toward 'A Night at the Village Vanguard'.

'Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise'

Wilbur Ware (bass) w Sonny Rollins (tenor sax) and Elvin Jones (drums)

3 Nov 1957 in NYC   Take 12   See 'A Night at the Village Vanguard' on Blue Note BLP1581

Composition: Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg

Nate Chinen   Discogs

'Striver's Row'

Wilbur Ware (bass) w Sonny Rollins (tenor sax) and Elvin Jones (drums)

3 Nov 1957 in NYC   Take 17   See 'A Night at the Village Vanguard' on Blue Note BLP1581

Composition: Rollins

Nate Chinen   Discogs

During the sixties Ware spent an undetermined period of time in jail in association with narcotics. In 1968 he recorded titles with Don Cherry, Clifford Jordan and Ed Blackwell that would get issued on 'Super Bass' in 2012. Tom Lord's sessionography shows Ware's last recordings in May 1976 for Jordan's 'Remembering Me-Me'.

'I Love You'

Wilbur Ware (bass) w Walt Dickerson (vibes) and Edgar Bateman (drums)

Sometime 1976 in Philadelphia   See 'Walt Dickerson 1976' on Why Not WNCD79414 (CD)

Composition: Cole Porter

Discogs

Ware died in Philadelphia on September 9, 1979, of emphysema.