Letter from Frank
Dearest Friends and Colleagues:
With all your LOVE, ENCOURAGEMENT and SUPPORT, Frank Wess is
enjoying his eighty-sixth year still playing saxophone and flute as
always. After battling through some health crises, Frank now seems
to be doing extremely well, both mentally and physically, evident by
his latest musical antics.
Last January, Frank received the prestigious NEA Jazz Master
Award. These days Frank seems to be very much himself and is again
concentrating on His MUSIC PLAYING. One of the nicer things that has
been happening for Frank this past year or so is his association with
Ilya Lushtuk, the guitar player who brings his friends to Frank’s
place almost every week to jam.
Frank has also scheduled two of his own groups to play at the
Village Vanguard from April 29th to May 4th, and at Dizzy’s Club from
June 3rd to June 8th.
He will play in a quintet with Ilya Lushtuk, Rufus Reid, Winard
Harper and Terell Stafford at The Village Vanguard and with Frank
Greene, Terell Stafford, Steve Turre, Ted Nash, Scott Robinson, Cyrus
Chestnut, Ray Drummond and Winard Harper as octet at Dizzy’s Club.
He is also scheduled to tour with the Mr. Louis Nash Band in
Japan in the fall of this year. This truly is an exciting
time… Not to mention with the tremendous generosity of all Frank’s
closest friends, Susan Winthrop and Rosanne Percivalle, we celebrated
a wonderful 86th Birthday Jam this past January 4th. It was truly a
great time had by all!!!
To conclude, I sincerely hope to share all of Frank’s People
fortune and Musical fortune with all of You!
I Thank You from bottom of my heart!
Love, Peace and Health To The greatest People,
Sara with Frank Wess