1977-1981
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Percy France (foreground lower right) in audience at The West End
Circa 1977
(L to R, Roland Gillis (vocal) Tommy Benford (drums) George James (alto) Francis Williams (trumpet) Eddie Durham (trombone) Loren Schoenberg (tenor) Paul Quinichette (tenor))
Photo courtesy Loren Schoenberg
Sammy Price Quintet
New York City, New York
October 9, 1979
Percy France (tenor saxophone) Eddie Barefield (tenor saxophone) Sammy Price (piano) Ronnie Cole (drums) Mario Schneeberger (alto saxophone)
How High the Moon/Ornithology (Lewis-Hamilton / Parker-Harris)
(Soloists Barefield, Schneeberger, Percy France)
Track appears on Cheers Ear, a two-disc CDR produced by Mario Schneeberger and distributed to attendees of his 80th birthday party. He was apparently sitting in on a Sammy Price's Two Tenor Boogie gig.
Percy France, New Jersey ca. 1980
Percy France Quartet/Quintet/Sextet
New Jersey
ca. 1980
Percy France (tenor saxophone all tracks, first solo all tracks) Skinny Burgan (bass) Bob Neloms (piano) Sir John Godfrey (drums)
Add:
Allen Lowe (second tenor saxophone solo tracks 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Randy Sandke (trumpet tracks 5-10)
Joel Perry (guitar tracks 6 & 10)
Dickey Myers (alto saxophone track 11)
1. HDW (Lowe)
2. Rhythm Thing (Lowe)
3. In Dreams (Lowe)
4. Easy Living (Robin-Rainger)
5. (Unnamed tune) (Lowe)
6. For Poor B.B. (Lowe)
7. Dickey Dreamed (Lowe)
8. Bob’s Bounce (Lowe)
9. Bebop Thing (Lowe)
10. Strollin’ with Helen (Lowe)
11. I Remember Bill Evans (Lowe)
Tracks 2, 6, 7, 9 and 10 appear on Allen Lowe – An Avant Garde Of Our Own: Disconnected Works, 1980 – 2018 (Constant Sorrow/ESP Disc)
Music courtesy Allen Lowe
Sammy Price Trio
Milan, Italy
May 1980
Sammy Price (piano) Percy France (tenor saxophone) Candy McDonald (drums)
Details unknown at this time.
According to the Italian publication RadioTVCorriere, on May 10th 1980 from 10:15 to 11 pm, a concert by the Sammy Price Trio was broadcast on Radio One. It took place at the Great Hall of the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan. It is unknown at this time if the broadcast was live or if the concert took place earlier. It is also currently unknown if a recording exists.
Doc Cheatham Quintet
West End Café
New York City, NY
May 21-22, 1980
Doc Cheatham (trumpet, vocal) Percy France (tenor saxophone) probably Sonny Donaldson (piano) Peck Morrison (bass) Ronnie Cole (drums)
There Will Never Be Another You (Warren-Gordon)
There’ll Be Some Changes Made (Overstreet-Higgins)
Just You, Just Me (Greer-Klages)
Indiana (MacDonald-Hanley-Dresser)
Struttin with Some Barbecue (Armstrong)
Rosetta (Hines-Woode)
Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Waller-Razaf)
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love (Fields-McHugh)
Audience recording and photo by Otto Flückiger.
Actual performance order is unknown - these were tracks saved by Otto Flückiger from recordings made over two nights at the West End.
Digitally remastered by Daniel Gould.
Music and photo courtesy Armin Büttner.
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Percy France "Honky Tonk Part 3"
West End Café
New York City, NY
May 23-24, 1980
Percy France (tenor saxophone) Ed “Tiger” Lewis (trumpet) Chris Flory (electric guitar) John Ore (bass) Sammie “Sticks” Evans (drums) Sonny Donaldson (piano)
Satin Doll (Strayhorn-Ellington)
I Can’t Get Started (France) (Gershwin-Duke) / (Lewis feature) / Laura (Flory) (Rasksin)
Strollin’ (Silver)
Lester Leaps In (Young)
The Theme (piano out) (Davis)
I Remember April (de Paul-Raye-Johnston)
St. Thomas (piano out) (Rollins)
Tenderly (piano out) (Lawrence-Gross)
Night Train (Ellington-Forrest-Washington-Simpkins)
Red Top (piano out) (Hampton-Kynard)
C Jam Blues (Ellington)
Honky Tonk (incomplete) (Doggett-Shepherd-Butler-Scott)
Audience recording and photos by Otto Flückiger.
Actual performance order is unknown - these were tracks saved by Otto Flückiger from recordings made over two nights at the West End.
Digitally remastered by Daniel Gould.
Music and photo courtesy Armin Büttner.
Ed "Tiger" Lewis solos first in this clip
Richard Kamins, Allen Lowe (tenor) Dick Katz (piano) Percy France (tenor), Skinny Burgan (bass) Randy Sandke (trumpet)
September 12 1982 – Wedding of Allen Lowe/Helen Ward
Photo Courtesy Allen Lowe
Percy France Quartet
New Jersey
ca. 1980
Percy France (tenor saxophone) Loren Shoenberg (piano) Jeff Fuller (bass) Sir John Godfrey (drums)
Time on My Hands (Gordon-Youmans-Adamson)
Like Someone in Love (Burke-Van Heusen
Doxy (Rollins)
I Should Care (Cahn-Stordahl-Weston)
All God's Chillun Got Rhythm (Kahn-Kaper-Jurmann)
I Love You (Porter)
Do Nothing ‘Til You Hear From Me (Ellington)
A Stairway to the Stars (Parish-Malneck-Signorelli)
How High the Moon (Lewis-Hamilton)
Bluebird (Parker)
Produced by Allen Lowe
Music courtesy Allen Lowe
Percy France never played the Newport Jazz Festival, but he did make his way to Newport at festival time, in 1980. This print ad appeared in the Newport Daily News, July 18-19, 1980:
Percy France Trio
New Rochelle, New York
Fall 1980
Percy France (tenor saxophone) Dick Katz (piano) Jeff Fuller (bass)
Blues In The Closet (Pettiford)
How High The Moon (Lewis-Hamilton)
I Should Care (Cahn-Stordahl-Weston)
The Theme (Davis)
There is No Greater Love (Jones-Symes)
Our Delight (Dameron)
Willow Weep For Me (Ronell)
Produced by Allen Lowe for Endgame Records
Music courtesy Allen Lowe
Photo from tray card of I Should Care CD
Allen Lowe, Percy France, Aaron Bell,
Leroy Williams, Randy Sandke, Joel Perry
September 12, 1982 – Allen Lowe/Helen Ward Wedding
Photo Courtesy Allen Lowe
Percy France Duo
New Jersey
1981
Percy France (tenor saxophone) Jeff Fuller (bass)
What is This Thing Called Love (Porter)
Ornithology (Parker-Harris)
Yardbird Suite (Parker)
Slow Blues (Lowe)
Everything Happens to Me (Adair-Dennis)
I Love You (Porter)
Rhythm Changes (Lowe)
Produced by Allen Lowe
Music courtesy Allen Lowe
Please click above to visit the last and most extensive section of the Percy France Sessionagraphy.