Search - Al Wichard :: Cake Walkin: The Modern Recordings 1947-1948

Al 'Cake' Wichard s drumming can be heard behind almost all of the singers and instrumentalists who recorded for Modern in the company s early years. During those years he also recorded several sessions for Modern with his own Sextette. This CD brings together the very best masters and alternates from Wichard s own sessions as a bandleader and fills a conspicuous gap in Ace s reissue programme of post WWII West Coast R&B. Little is known of Wichard but plenty is known about those who recorded with him, including Jimmy Witherspoon, Pee Wee Crayton, Big Duke Henderson and legendary Kansas City piano player Jay 'Hootie' McShann all of whom can be heard on this CD. With one exception, none of the masters or alternates on 'Cake Walkin' has previously been issued on any Ace CD. In fact, over 60% of the selections here have never been issued at all. This really is exemplary small group R&B from what are considered to be the peak years for this kind of music. (The herculean efforts of Sound Mastering s engineers to make what were some decidedly battered sound sources sound like they do here will not go unappreciated, either.)