Re: Ali Hassan

This is a copy of an email I sent to RLC a month ago; glad to find this forum. I hope someday someone with more resources than I will extend Campbell's amazing 1930's to 1961 website into the New York years, but for now right here will do.

While I was researching Ali Hassan traces on the web, I found these:

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ql6psBtzFPgC&pg=PA109&lpg=PA109&dq=al+wardlow+trombone&source=bl&ots=kG-edee3OF&sig=2rGeGHLgvH8YDu-G55SPk7M7heQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QpSqUZaZItLK4AO70YHIAQ&ved=0CC8Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=al%20wardlow%20trombone&f=false a section of Janet Coleman and Al Young's double memoir, Mingus Mingus (1989)  (pp107-9, high school with Al Young at Central High School (LA?) after which he goes to NYC and joins Sun Ra.

http://souldennis.blogspot.com/2012_06_01_archive.html just below:

Fats Gaines Orchestra - Plays Today And Yesterdays Lp
William Carl "Fats" Gaines was born in Coffeyville, Kansas. He has played trumpet and alto saxophone. Fats is mostly known for his leading ability. He organized his first group called Fats Noisy Seven in elementary school. His career started during World War Two, in the 767th Army Air Force Band as a sousaphone player. He played trumpet in army swing band.
In the 70s he formed a band called Fats Gaines Orchestra. The band featured in many Social Clubs in the Bay area such as The Knights of Honor, The Spiders, The Thirteen Charms, Los Amigos,C.B.Communicators, Metronomes, Fifty Sports Man's, The Jolly Glow, The Jolliets. 
This band was one of the best big bands based in San Francisco. The members of the band were the same members for the past four and a half years. The band released his first album under the name Fats Gaines Orchestra plays Today and Yesterday on Avamar Records. It was recorded at Wahlberg Recording Studios, San Francisco.
In this album appeared Fats Gaines on sax, Jerry Whitmore andNapoleon (NAP) Henry on guitars, Johnnie Ingram on string bass,John L.Thomas and Edward Hammond on electric bass, Roy Henderson and Charles Nelson on tenor sax, James Brown (brother of Mel Brown) on piano, Hugh Parker on drums, Harold Phillips on trumpet, Albert "Hassen" Wardlow and George Alexander on trombone. Finally Curtis Lawson on vocals. 
Today Curtis Lawson is a great singer of blues music in the Bay area. 
,,,,
Later Fats Gaines released two more albums. The first album was released on Avamar Records in 1981 under the name Fats Gaines Band entitled "SOULJAZZDISCO". The second album was released on the same label in 1983 under the name Fats Gaines Band presents Zorina.
Sadly Fats Gaines has passed away.

Two obscure recent cd's:

http://users.rcn.com/jazzinfo/1004/1004NS/NSAWardlow.html

http://okgrillo.blogspot.com/2005_08_01_archive.html

Feliz 85 aniversario, Bird.
Música de Charlie Parker interpretada por: Art Harris (órgano Hammond, canto); Malik (batería, canto); Al Wardlaw (trombón)
Happy 85th birthday, Bird.
Music by Charlie Parker played by:
Art Harris (Hammond organ, vocals); Malik (drums, vocals); Al Wardlaw (trombone)
Parker's Mood
Copyright Oscar Grillo 2005
POSTED BY EL EDITOR AT LUNES, AGOSTO 29, 2005 1 COMMENTS

A mention as a retired member of the Saint Gabriel's Celestial Brass Band (Tom Wiggins 1-925-952-4585)

...and a possible obit and picture (I hope that's not what the 1937-2011 means, but I'm afraid it is.

Al “Hassan” Wardlow (1937-2011) at his Mission District digs in San Francisco. The former Sun Ra and salsa band trombonist had just flown in hours before from his residence in Guangzhou, China to play the gig with me at Santa Rosa Junior College. Zooming home from Italy, I’d barely beaten my old high school buddy back home to our beloved Bay Area.
Al Young

Sounds from this that he was commuting from China to SFCA for a while.

 I am a trombone player and Sun Ra's trombonists tend to be both scarce and obscure.  Compare that long "French horn" solo on Velvet on (RLC's) reconstructed Janus to Ali Hassan's Velvet solos on Michael Anderson's complete Nothing Is. I maintain it is also an Ali Hassan trombone solo - same oblique, hesitant-starting lines.

Sorry for the long-winded email, and keep up the good work!

This is a copy of an email I sent to RLC a month ago; glad to find this forum. I hope someday someone with more resources than I will extend Campbell's amazing 1930's to 1961 website into the New York years, but for now right here will do.

While I was researching Ali Hassan traces on the web, I found these:

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ql6psBtzFPgC&pg=PA109&lpg=PA109&dq=al+wardlow+trombone&source=bl&ots=kG-edee3OF&sig=2rGeGHLgvH8YDu-G55SPk7M7heQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QpSqUZaZItLK4AO70YHIAQ&ved=0CC8Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=al%20wardlow%20trombone&f=false a section of Janet Coleman and Al Young's double memoir, Mingus Mingus (1989)  (pp107-9, high school with Al Young at Central High School (LA?) after which he goes to NYC and joins Sun Ra.

http://souldennis.blogspot.com/2012_06_01_archive.html just below:

Fats Gaines Orchestra - Plays Today And Yesterdays Lp
William Carl "Fats" Gaines was born in Coffeyville, Kansas. He has played trumpet and alto saxophone. Fats is mostly known for his leading ability. He organized his first group called Fats Noisy Seven in elementary school. His career started during World War Two, in the 767th Army Air Force Band as a sousaphone player. He played trumpet in army swing band.
In the 70s he formed a band called Fats Gaines Orchestra. The band featured in many Social Clubs in the Bay area such as The Knights of Honor, The Spiders, The Thirteen Charms, Los Amigos,C.B.Communicators, Metronomes, Fifty Sports Man's, The Jolly Glow, The Jolliets. 
This band was one of the best big bands based in San Francisco. The members of the band were the same members for the past four and a half years. The band released his first album under the name Fats Gaines Orchestra plays Today and Yesterday on Avamar Records. It was recorded at Wahlberg Recording Studios, San Francisco.
In this album appeared Fats Gaines on sax, Jerry Whitmore andNapoleon (NAP) Henry on guitars, Johnnie Ingram on string bass,John L.Thomas and Edward Hammond on electric bass, Roy Henderson and Charles Nelson on tenor sax, James Brown (brother of Mel Brown) on piano, Hugh Parker on drums, Harold Phillips on trumpet, Albert "Hassen" Wardlow and George Alexander on trombone. Finally Curtis Lawson on vocals. 
Today Curtis Lawson is a great singer of blues music in the Bay area. 
,,,,
Later Fats Gaines released two more albums. The first album was released on Avamar Records in 1981 under the name Fats Gaines Band entitled "SOULJAZZDISCO". The second album was released on the same label in 1983 under the name Fats Gaines Band presents Zorina.
Sadly Fats Gaines has passed away.

Two obscure recent cd's:

http://users.rcn.com/jazzinfo/1004/1004NS/NSAWardlow.html

http://okgrillo.blogspot.com/2005_08_01_archive.html

Feliz 85 aniversario, Bird.
Música de Charlie Parker interpretada por: Art Harris (órgano Hammond, canto); Malik (batería, canto); Al Wardlaw (trombón)
Happy 85th birthday, Bird.
Music by Charlie Parker played by:
Art Harris (Hammond organ, vocals); Malik (drums, vocals); Al Wardlaw (trombone)
Parker's Mood
Copyright Oscar Grillo 2005
POSTED BY EL EDITOR AT LUNES, AGOSTO 29, 2005 1 COMMENTS

A mention as a retired member of the Saint Gabriel's Celestial Brass Band (Tom Wiggins 1-925-952-4585)

...and a possible obit and picture (I hope that's not what the 1937-2011 means, but I'm afraid it is.

Al “Hassan” Wardlow (1937-2011) at his Mission District digs in San Francisco. The former Sun Ra and salsa band trombonist had just flown in hours before from his residence in Guangzhou, China to play the gig with me at Santa Rosa Junior College. Zooming home from Italy, I’d barely beaten my old high school buddy back home to our beloved Bay Area.
Al Young

Sounds from this that he was commuting from China to SFCA for a while.

 I am a trombone player and Sun Ra's trombonists tend to be both scarce and obscure.  Compare that long "French horn" solo on Velvet on (RLC's) reconstructed Janus to Ali Hassan's Velvet solos on Michael Anderson's complete Nothing Is. I maintain it is also an Ali Hassan trombone solo - same oblique, hesitant-starting lines.

Sorry for the long-winded email, and keep up the good work!