The Octet Celebrates Frank Wess at Birdland

The great Frank Wess, saxophone/flute giant and distinguished alumnus of the Count Basie band, would have been 101 this January. Franks character and personality are as legendary as his playing and writing, and he was a valuable mentor to many. To honor this much-loved figure, Scott Robinson has reassembled the Octet that Frank and he started back in the early 1990s, including some of New Yorks finest players. The Octet will present a program of the original arrangements - many written by Frank himself - that the group performed with Frank on many occasions, kindly provided by his widow Sara Tsutsumi, who will be in attendance...

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The great Frank Wess, saxophone/flute giant and distinguished alumnus of the Count Basie band, would have been 101 this January. Franks character and personality are as legendary as his playing and writing, and he was a valuable mentor to many. To honor this much-loved figure, Scott Robinson has reassembled the Octet that Frank and he started back in the early 1990s, including some of New Yorks finest players. The Octet will present a program of the original arrangements - many written by Frank himself - that the group performed with Frank on many occasions, kindly provided by his widow Sara Tsutsumi, who will be in attendance. Please join us for this fun and exciting tribute to one of the true greats of this music. Scott Robinson - tenor and baritone sax, alto clarinet, bass flute, musical directorBill Easley - tenor and alto sax, fluteFrank Greene - trumpetMike Rodriguez - trumpetSteve Davis - tromboneMichael Weiss - pianoRufus Reid - bassDennis Mackrel - drums

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