The late Chicago-based pianist John Wright might be a lesser known figure in the grand jazz scheme of things, but he cut five sharp albums for Prestige between 1960 and 1962 that are worthy of remembrance. The first, South Side Soul, is getting a fresh release by Craft Recordings on 180 gram vinyl as part of their ongoing Original Jazz Classics reissue series. Due June 28, the set hits a piano trio soul jazz sweet spot with deep blues and churchy inflections. If Wrightâs highest profile recording, it remains an underrated example of soul jazz at its most versatile.
Although heâd only been gigging professionally for a few years at the point of South Side Soulâs recording, John Wright had been playing since childhood, gathering experience thatâs evident in his debutâs assured flow. Wright played in church as a child and excelled without formal lessons. Joining the Army prior to graduating high-school, he ended up in Special Services (i.e., the entertainment division) while stationed in Germany. After returning home to Chicago in 1955, he began playing around the city and eventually landed on the Prestige labelâs radar.
South Side Soul is steeped in the essence of Chicago. Itâs right there in the albumâs title of course, but also in the names of the songs, and additionally in Wrightâs musical influences, which are clear but expressed in an individual way as the record unwinds. Right away the opening title cut exudes a bluesy feeling strengthened by the rhythm section of bassist Wendell Roberts and drummer Walter McCants. â47th and Calumetâ gets even bluesier, but Wright maintains an air of the erudite in his playing that can bring contemporary Chicagoan Ahmad Jamal to mind.
Wrightâs soulfulness isnât gutbucket, but his playing does possess an appealing edge and the trio is deft at stylistically enhancing the specifics of the song titles; throughout the album, there are hints of another Windy City soul jazz cornerstone in Ramsey Lewis, plus flashes of Mose Allison and even the production genius of Willie Dixon.
âLa Salle St. After Hoursâ is a solid soundtrack for late night carousing, with McCantsâ work at the kit suggesting heâd worked a few shifts beating the traps in bump and grind joints. But Wright is also restrained as he resists turning the tune into a noir-fest. â63rd and Cottage Groveâ is a sprightly cooker that shows the group could excel at post-bop fare (while giving it a gospel tinge), and then â35th St. Bluesâ slows it down and spreads out, intermingling the titular feeling with jazzy flair.
Wright could certainly deliver in a straight blues piano context (having supported bluesman Arbee Stidham on his enjoyable 1961 Prestige set Tired of Wandering), but South Side Soul reinforces that he was pursuing a sound that encapsulated the broader Chicago experience. As Amiri Baraka (then writing as LeRoi Jones) mentions in his sleeve notes, âSin Cornerâ could be any number of points on the cityâs map. Itâs to Wrightâs credit that it could been Maxwell St., but just as easily, Hastings.
Still, Wright offers an atmosphere of refinement in âSin Cornerâ rather than have us marinate in an air of turpitude, a decision that combines well with âAmen Corner,â which refers to the spot in the Black church where the most vocal parishioners congregate; the trioâs playing hits the gospel target right in the bullseye for the LPâs close.
All of Wrightâs Prestige albums are worthy of investigating; thatâs Nice ânâ Tasty (1960), Makinâ Out (â61), Mr. Soul (â62), and The Last Amen (recorded in â61 but released in â65). Makinâ Out adds the tenor sax of Eddie âCat Eyeâ Williams, but the rest are trios (with the expected shifts in personnel). There are later entries in his discography that shouldnât be overlooked, but for anyone looking to get a handle on the artistry of John Wright, South Side Soul is the place to start.
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