January/February 2007

Paul Quinichette
Like Basie
Mighty Quinn

By Scott Yanow

Jazz is a music that celebrates individuality, so where does that leave someone like Paul Quinichette, a tenor saxophonist whose playing in the 1950s was so close to Lester Young (“Pres”) that he became known as the “Vice Pres”? 1959’s Like Basie (Mighty Quinn 1112), a reissue of his rarest album and the last one he released before retirement (there was a brief comeback in the 1970s), finds Quinichette joined by trumpeters Harry “Sweets” Edison, Snooky Young, Dick Vance and Shad Collins plus trombonist Al Grey and a swinging rhythm section. Quinichette’s enthusiasm and dedication to the Young style still make his derivative playing sound enjoyable and fun.