Four Freshmen And Five Saxes

East Of The Sun

Four Freshmen and Five Saxes
Capitol Records T844
1957

The Five Saxes (Count 'em – nine; but only five were used at a time)
George Auld
Gus Bivona
Bob Cooper
Chuck Gentry
Skeets Herfurt
Ted Nash
Dave Pell
Willie Schwartz
Bud Shank

From the back cover: This album is the third in a fabulous series. The memorable forays of the Four Freshmen with trombones and then trumpets are living history for the satisfied owners of those albums. In the present one, the reed section comes in for a splendid workout. The group swings with neatness and enthusiasm, and the arrangements keep pace all the way.

Pete Rugolo was arranger for the first of the albums, Four Freshmen and Five Trombones and Dick Reynolds arranged the second one with Five Trumpets. For this album they split the score chores, each taking a side. The listener will enjoy comparing the arrangers' individual styles. Whereas Rugolo, on side one, lights out in all directions, sometimes playing hilarious hob with the melody lines, Reynolds, on the other side, takes a straight-on approach, scoring the tunes in an attractively modern groove.

In albums like these where a lot of the spotlight falls on the instrumentalists, it is necessary to choose the men with solid musical personalities who have it in them to produce something more than pleasant, anonymous background support. Accordingly, the saxophonists were conscripted from among the West Coast's finest. The solos are by Bob Cooper (on "Liza"), Dave Pell (on "I May Be Wrong"), and Bud Shank (whose shapely solo on "East Of The Sun" is one of the high points in this album).

Liza
You've Got Me Crying' Again
This Can't Be Love
The Very Thought Of You
East Of The Sun
I May Be Wrong
There's No One But You
Sometimes I'm Happy
For All We Know
Lullaby In Rhythm
This Love Of Mine
I Get Along Without You Very Well