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Saturday, June 29, 2019

The Big Bamboo - The Big Bamboo Orchestra

Bahama Lullaby
The Big Bamboo
Recorded at The Big Bamboo
Nassau, Bahamas by The Big Bamboo Orchestra
Featuring Roy Shurland, Vocalist & Little Sparrow on the Steel Pan
Carib Folk Music
Carib LP 2015
1961

From the back cover: Contributing their natural talents based on their island origins and playing the instrument they know best are pianist John Clark, Bahamas; Fred Callender and Little Sparrow, Steel Pan of Trinidad; Tony Allen, Barbados. (A former Nassau police constable who composed "Junkanoo In Nassau" and sings his own composition in this album) Jack Roker, Guitar, Bahamas; Fred Burnett, Alto Pans, Bahamians Eric Roker and Lord Cody, Bongo Drums. This Calypso "little League Of Nations" is augmented by Sonny Johnson on the cowbell and his fabulous choral group, the Dolphins. Roy Shurland, the featured vocalist is a Jamaican whose remarkable versatility permits a change of pace from jump-up calypsos such as The Monkey Song and Gloria to beautifully haunting ballads like Yellow Bird and Kingston Market.

Without the splendid cooperation of your hosts Don Roberts and Jack Manns in providing their popular club "The Big Bamboo" for a studio, this album would have lost much of its authenticity. This beautiful room with its native atmosphere was a perfect setting and the performers were really "at home."


Monkey Song
Gloria
Kinston Market
These Are The Times
John B. Sail
Garret Bounce
Big Bamboo
Junkanoo In Nassau
Land Of The Sun And The Sea
Yellow Bird (Choucoune)
Bahama Lullaby
Brown Skin Gal Medley

The Rape Of El Morro - Don Sebesky

The Rape Of El Morro
The Rape Of El Morro
Don Sebesky
Produced by Creed Taylor
CTI Records - A Division Of Creed Taylor, Inc.
Cover Photo by Alan Kaplan
Liner Photograph by Alen MacWeeney
Album Design by Bob Ciano and Richard Mantel
CTI 6061 S1
Distributed by Motown Records Corporation
1975

From the inside cover: The title number (Don recalls that the original tentative title was Spanish Blood) is a wild mix of Mexican flavoring, electronic effects, jazz improvisation, and sheer unadulterated excitement. "It evolves piece by piece," says Don, "with Roland Hanna in the center of it all, followed by Mike Brecker.

"I had an idea of overlaying a flamenco voice. Someone suggested Joan LaBarbara, who had been working with various experimental groups. She has the ability to create two notes at once – octaves, or an octave and a fifth simultaneously. She's amazing! So that added another dimension."


Keyboards
Don Grolnick (solo Lucky Seven)
Roland Hanna (solo The Rape Of Morrow and Moon Dreams)
Pay Rebillot (Skyliner)

Bass
Ron Carter (The Rape Of Morrow and Moon Dreams)
Will Lee (Footprints Of The Giant, The Entertainer, Lucky Seven, Skyliner)

Drums
Steve Gadd

Guitar
Joe Beck

Percussion
George Devens
Phil Kraus

Saxophone
Mike Brecker (all tenor solos - Courtesy of Arista Records)
Dave Sanborn (alto)

Trumpet
Randy Brecker Courtesy of Arista Records)
Jon Faddis
Trombone
Wayne Andre
Barry Rogers
Sonny Russo
Tony Studd (bass)
Flute/Alto Flute
Roy Beckenstein (also piccolo)
Harvey Estrin
George Marge
Al Regni

Electric Violin
David Rose

Violin
Harry Cykman
Paul Gershman
Emanuel Green
Harold Kohon
Charles Libove
Harry Lookofsky
David Nadien
Matthew Raimondi

Viola
Jean Dane
Manny Vardi

Cello
Seymour Barab
Charles McCracken

Vocal
Joan LaBarbara

The Rape Of El Morrow
Moon Dreams
Footprints Of The Giant
The Entertainer
Lucky Seven