| The Ways of Warmdaddy | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Wessell Anderson |
| Cover: | The Ways of Warmdaddy.jpg |
| Released: | 1996 |
| Recorded: | 1995 |
| Genre: | Jazz |
| Label: | Atlantic[1] |
| Producer: | Billy Banks |
| Prev Title: | Warmdaddy in the Garden of Swing |
| Prev Year: | 1994 |
| Next Title: | Live at the Village Vanguard |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
The Ways of Warmdaddy is the second album by the American musician Wessell Anderson, released in 1996.[2] [3] The album title refers to Wynton Marsalis's nickname for Anderson; Anderson started with Marsalis's bands.[4] Anderson supported the album with a North American tour.[5]
Produced by Billy Banks, the album was recorded in New Orleans in the summer of 1995.[6] Anderson wrote six of its eight tracks.[7] The Ways of Warmdaddy includes versions of Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo" (as a solo saxophone piece for Anderson) and "Rockin' in Rhythm". Ellis Marsalis played piano on some tracks.[7]
The New York Times wrote that "Anderson can be an extraordinarily intelligent and original improviser... On a number called 'Change of Heart Blues', for instance, his playing brims with odd phrases and clever rhythm play, resulting in a solo that is as memorable as a good melody."[8] The Los Angeles Times determined that "Anderson hasn't yet discovered a way to bring structure and follow-through to his solos, which tend to be undeniably dazzling arrays of rapid-fire runs."
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram stated that "the funk and flavor of New Orleans surround every husky note and bedeviling phrase young altoist Anderson blows."[9] The Boston Herald called Anderson "both a sensitive accompanist and intrepid soloist."[10]
AllMusic deemed the album "a hard-bop (re)hash, well-played, yet tasting a bit like it's been microwaved back to life—a moderately tasty and almost immediately forgettable side dish."