The Chuck Wayne Trio: Tapestry (1964)

A beautiful, mellow jazz guitar trio album on the very tiny Focus label.

There's quite a bit of variety here, with "soulful" tunes, ballads, bossa nova and even two tracks with Chuck picking banjo! When was the last time you heard someone play "Dolphin Street" on banjo?


Wayne was a member of George Shearing's original quintet, acted as a musical director for Tony Bennett and did countless studio dates. His dates as a leader are only very few, though. Surprisingly jazzdisco.org assembled a discog for him (http://www.jazzdisco.org/chuck-wayne/discography/). Better known than "Tapestry" (and much easier to find) is "Morning Mist" recorded for Prestige and "Interactions", a classic guitar duo album with Joe Puma. All his albums are worth checking out.

Bassman Ernie Furtado is only little known, but at least featured on the AMG, who call him "utterly and unjustly obscure" and go on writing: "Fans of jazz guitar may have a copy of Tapestry by Chuck Wayne; if they can find one, that is. This classic recording is not only a brilliant album of jazz guitar, it contains much fine bass work from Furtado. But this is just one of many recordings the bassist made that has slipped out of circulation and public attention, whether the status is deserved or not."

The AMG article on drummer Jimmy Campbell is more extensive:
"Campbell was a favorite sideman of players such as Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and Maynard Ferguson, meaning Campbell was a powerhouse big band drummer... He was also a subtle drummer when that was what was needed, sometimes just suggesting the time with brushwork....Campbell worked well with guitarists, a fact proven by the largely forgotten but brilliant effort by Chuck Wayne, Tapestry, which features an arrangement of "Greensleeves" on banjo. While he was on the scene, he was consistently named among the best jazz drummers in the jazz magazine Down Beat's annual critics' choice awards."


This was recorded sometime in 1963/64, but considering the "psychedelic" cover design, i'm wondering if it may have been issued a few years later. Yet, the few other albums on Focus i could find online - Carmen McRae (FS 334), Earl Hines (FS 335), Bob Dorough (FS 336), Bobbi Rogers (FS 337) - all appeared between 1963 and '65, making 1964 indeed the most likely issue date for "Tapestry".

While you see the mono version of this (Focus FM 333) now and then, the stereo version is pretty rare. Lucky me, i stumbled upon a Japanese vinyl reissue, which is not only in stereo but in perfect condition, too. Recording quality isn't the greatest, though, with a rather high amount of hissing on the quiter pieces.


The Chuck Wayne Trio: Tapestry  
Focus FS 333, 1964

Thank The Lord
Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
Greensleeves
'Round Midnight
Lady's Love Song
Askaterine
Loads Of Love
Down The Road
Satin Doll
My Favorite Things
On Green Dolphin Street

Chuck Wayne (g, bjo) Ernie Furtado (b) Jimmy Campbell (d)
Nola Penthouse Studios, NYC, 1963