Dick Wellstood was one of the foremost stride piano players, and his premature death in 1987 deprived the jazz world of a major talent. This CD reissues the complete contents of the 1970-1971 sessions that made up the original LP, adding four new tracks from a previously unreleased 1975 studio date. There's plenty of great music for a stride fan to devour:
Fats Waller's "Viper's Drag" and "Squeeze Me,"
James P. Johnson's "Carolina Shout" (a mandatory number for stride players), plus interpretations of ragtime (
Scott Joplin's "Fig Leaf"),
W.C. Handy's "Atlanta Blues," and the playful novelty piano number "Poor Buttermilk" by
Zez Confrey.
Wellstood also delights in rearranging a theme by
Rachmaninoff into his "Russian Rag," while his "South Amboy Highball" is a boogie-woogie piece that suggests a train underway. The sound is a little distorted on the 1975 session, due to the dynamic range of these recordings exceeding the capabilities of a CD. In addition to a loping "On the Sunny Side of the Street," a virtuoso performance of "Body and Soul," and a brilliantly conceived medley of classic
Duke Ellington compositions, there's one odd track. Although "Superstar" is credited to
Wellstood, it is actually a very bluesy, often sidesplitting interpretation of the schmaltz-filled hit recorded by
the Carpenters. Is there such a thing as a mediocre
Dick Wellstood release? Don't bet on it!