Frank Chac Clarinet Ac By Derek Coller and Bert Why 1964 photo of Frank Chace courtesy of Wayne J Introduction to Frank Chace. bv Derek Coller was working as a music salesmanbut Chacesaid, "I was n a salesman,more like a dustmanat a music store!" orn in Chicagoon July 22,1924, FrankTheodore Chace was Chacewas in Englandon one occasion- "I visitedonly bn a jazz enthusiastfor years before he becamea musician. in the summer of 1951 as a ringer in the Amherst Col Drafted into the army he was posted to Los Angeles in Dixieland Five, to entertain U S Army troops of occupa 1943,attending a nine-monthcourse at UCLA, "a magical stay". aroundthe continentand elsewhere,including Morocco". It was here he was enthralledby such musiciansas Joe Sullivan, In 1957Chace, Grosz and a pianist, JessSutton, worked a Big JoeTurner, Bob Zurke, Eddie Miller - "L.A. was like a ... little Gaslight Club in Chicago and this led to the 1959 New \ entertainment village." Here he also heard some of Eddie recordingsessions for Audio Fidelity alongsideMax Kamin Condon's Commodore 78s, featuring his great and lasting Cutty Cutshalland Don Ewell. That sameyear someof his influence,Pee Wee Russell. His devotionto Russellcontinued for work is heard on the Hooray For Bix titles with Marty Grosz the rest ofhis life - evidentin all his recordinss. His Honoris Catsa JazzBand. In 1945 he wds stationedat Fort Monmlouthin New Jersey, Marty Grosz recalled:"ln 1957Frank got me on the Gasl becoming a regular visitor to Nick's to hear Pee Wee with the Club job. I think he stayedabout a year. The leaderof the trir Muggsy Spanierband. Military serviceover, he was given, in played in was a diminutive pianist who had played in theate 1947, a clarinet by a friend, acceptingit out of "curiosity to see orchestras,dance bands and in the radio studios,beginning ir what Russellwas doing". By 195I he was good enoughto record twenties. He was a crackerjack reader but kept playing with his great friend Marfy Grosz and they remained jazz melody all the time. It drove Frank and me nuts. We trie companions for almost twenty years, touring with Sid Dawson's anesthetizeourselves with whiskey, which was plentiful and Riverboat Ramblers(Marty Grosz recalled:"In 1954 Frank and I for musicians. It was a silly job. The waitressesall had to played with Sid Dawson in Toronto, Columbus and Dayton, and dance, talented or not, but it was steady money and tip: Ohio"), Frank Hubble's Village Stompers(around 1963 and, as we hung on." Grosz put it: "dreadful, but it was work. We toured westward of The Chacediscography points to many of the highlight Chicago, winding up in Aspen, Colorado") and Dave Remington's his career - three weeks in Boston at George Wein's Story Chicago JazzBand.It was probably early in 1958that Chacehad a Club, with Wild Bill Davison (later replaced by Jol steadygig with trumpeter Smoky Stover'sOriginal Firemen in Rock Windhurst);the engagementin St. Louis with Don Ewell and Island, when Monte Mountjoy was the drummer. Collins (later replacedby Dewey Jackson);and the yearsdu Pianist Dave Remington's band, which featured Jim which he subbedfor clarinetist Kim Cusackwith the Salty D Cunningham, cornet, Sid Dawson, trombone, Chace, clarinet, Despite his misgivings about The Salty Dogs ("it's a diflc Marty Grosz, guitar, and Bob Cousins, drums, appeared in a style of music, it's not really mine"), Windin'Ball CD105. I television programme called How Does Your Garden Grow, Dogs 1955,shows Chaceadapting well to this traditional-st presumablyabout the sametime as its Jubilee recording session, group. A Dodds-influence is evident on, for example, the cla October 1955. This is mentioned inthe Marty Grosz Discography, breaks on l[/orking Man Blues and "Riverside Blues" anc compiled by Clarrie Henley and published by Gerard Bielderman. ensemblework on SnakeRag. The Pee Wee Russell influen Writing the chapter on Chicago Jazz for "Jazz" (published in heard on Big Bear Stomp, whereas on Ostrich Walk, u 1959),John Steinercommented on "the Grosz-Chaceherd (mostly featuresChace, it is Frank Teschemacherthat he calls to min a rehearsal-recordinghomeless band ofenthusiasts)" and also stated Of the so-calledHidden Treasurerecording sessions by Ji that "Frank Chace is certainly the finest young Dodds-Pee Wee- Smith in 1961,Marty Grosz comments:"John Steinercaller Tesch student". Comparisonswith thesethree clarinet masterswere to see if I could put together a group to make some demos to follow Chace throughout his career. Steiner also wrote that he might help to revive interest in Jabbo. I was tickled-to-death IAJRCJournd - fune 2OO9- p.42 course I was familiar with his records. I got on the phone and FrankChace died in a nursinghome in Riverwoods,Evanston, called Frank, Art Gronwall, John Dengler, who was working in Illinois,on December28,2007. Chicago with Billy Maxted, if memory seryes,and drummer Bob Saltmarsh.This was a trial session:pro bono. With acknowledgements to Frank Chace, Marty Grosz and Wayne "The recording was done in a huge indoor stadium at Navy Jones for their letters and e-mails. and to Michael Steinman for his Pier, Chicago. It was rather echo-y. We would have felt better in telephoneinterviews with Chace. a smallersetting .... I neverplayed bass." To quoteBert Whyatt, "Chace is in excellent form on the Smith sessions. The ballad- type tunes have him knowing the lyrics and telling you about them." Introduction to the Discography, by Bert Whyatt This discography is basedon that compiled about 1998 by Derek Coller who made subsequentchanges. Further amendments and additions,principally detailsof private sessions,have come from Wayne Jones, Hal Smith and Michael Steinman. Other contributors include Ron Clough, Jim Gordon and Bill Mitchell. Much of that later data is of private tapesand thus this seemsto be rather more than a discography. We have drawn on the discographyof Don Ewell compiledby John Collinson (Storyville l99l), The Recordingsof JabboSmith by Klaus-Uwe Durr (privately published), the Marty Grosz Dis- cography by Clanie Henley (Gerard Bielderman, 2006) and the John Denglerarticle in RecordResearch 84 of June 1967. I am responsible for the actual production where I have used instrument abbreviations familiar to me from my years of review- ing for Jazz Joumal Intemational. As no individual piece has an identifuing master number, I have abandonedthe usual columnar listing by running the titles linear with a forward slash between each. If nothingelse, this makesthe discographymore compactby eliminatinga lot of white space. There are various spellingsof tune titles. This becausewe quotewhat appearson recordlabels and coversand in listingsfrom other sources. It should be noted that all recordlabels are Ameri- Jim Snyder, Dick Kamer, Birch Smith, Dick Mushlitz, Frank Chace In action at The Hunt Club, Chicago, July 1954 can,other than Document(Austrian), Realm and Ristic (English). Photo: Wayne Jones Early in 1964 the Chicago Historical Society held two concerts of Chicago jazz,both featuring Frank Chace. The first was by a group of youngermusicians (Lew Green,Jim Dapogny, Mike Walridge, etc), while the second had such veterans as Johnny Mendell, Floyd O'Brien, Tut Soper, and Jim Lanigan, playing alongside younger adherents Bob Skiver, Marty Grosz and Wayne Jones. Jones recalled: "Gene Krupa was at the London Housewith his quartet.... and droppedby to seehis old friends." Joneshad thrown together a makeshift drum set for the As of pressdate, the following American compactdiscs appear to concert so that he could leave his number one set at his regular be available: venue. He was mortified when Krupa sat in on Nobody's Sweetheart:"They looked and soundedawful but Gene seemedto Atlantic 7 818442(Chicago Jazz Summit) be having a truly good time and beat the hell out of them." Down Delmark DE246 (Banel Band) Beat, echoingJohn Steiner'searlier remarks, reported that "Chace (Iimmy played well at both concerts, having a fiery style that stems GHB BCD-46112 Archey & Don Ewell) directly from Frank Teschemacherand Pee Wee Russell." Good Time IazzGT-GTJCD-10065-2 (Marfy Grosz) Looking back on his friendship with Frank Chace, Marry I azzologyJCD37 1 /2 (ChicagoLoopers) Grosz says:"From 1948on Frank and I were almost inseparable I azzologyJCD37 3 / 4 (Butch Thompson) jazz buddies. After he semi-retiredin the sixties he would still Lonehill Jazz LHJ 10352 (Jabbo Smith) come to my houseand we would celebratethe power and mystery Universe 25343 (IimKweskin) of jazz, paying homage to Bacchus and listening to records until Windin'Ball WB105 (SaltyDogs) dawn." Towards the end of the 1960sChace took a day job with a A British issueis J&M RecordsJ&MCD8004 (Marry Grosz) company producing audio-visual training materials,but continued to play when the opportunities arose. One example was the Additions and corrections are, of course, sought and welcomed. (alleged)Chicago Jazz Summit in New York in 1986, when he played alongsideYank Lawson and Eddie Miller. IAIRCJournal - Junc 2OO9- p.43 |. ./ INTENSELY VIGOROUS JAZZBAND John Dengler, c/v; Marty lll, tb; Frank Chace, cl; Hal Cabot or Squinel Ashcraft, NATTY DOMINIQUE AND HIS NEW ORLEANSHOT SIX p; Marty Grosz, glv; Stan Bergen, d. Natty Dominique, tb; Floyd O'Brien, tb; Frank Chace, cl; Lil Armstrong, p/v: Princeton,New Jersey,May or June, l95l Israel Crosby, b; Baby Dodds, d Let Me Overhaul Your Car JDv / I Found A New Baby SAp Big Butter And Egg Man / Touching Blues / Someday Sweetheart/ 6 other tunesrecorded - all issuedon 10" 33: University label. Only 300 copies! You Rascal You LAv 33: Windin' Ball WB104, DocumentDLP562. Musiciansgive voc responses MARTY GROSZANDHIS CELLARBOYS on last title. WB 104 is a 10" with the reverseby Little Brother Montgomery. Hugh McKay, c; Eph Resnick, tb; Frank Chace, cl; John Dengler, bars; Dick Wellstood, p; Marty Grosz, g.