Cybernetic Warfare - Herbert Philbrick

 

Cybernetic Warfare

Cybernetic Warfare

Are You Sure Communism Hasn't Brain-washed You?

By Herbert Philbrick

Key Records  KEY LP/780

From the back cover: When Herb Philbrick was an F.B.I. counterspy in the Communist Party, he observed a curious and enigmatic situation prevailing in every cell library and research facility: the book shelves were not dominated by the works of Marx and Lenin but by a Russian who was not even a member of the Soviet party – a man named Pavlov.

One day Herb was to realize why – and, in so learning – was to become aware that something Pavlov discovered would turn out to be the major device employed by the Communists in their revolution to overthrow the United States government.

In this brilliant address, delivered at a Disneyland Hotel session of the Dr. Fred C. Schwarz Anti-Communist School, Herb Philbrick spectacularly dissects the diabolical propaganda machine of the Soviets, vividly shows how it operates, clearly acquaints you with how to guard against its destructive designs.

If the North American continent staves off the Communist threat – and there are men of sober judgement who believe our chances are now no better than fifty-fifty – historians yet unborn may well look back and credit our survival in considerable degree to this penetrating and strategic analysis by Herbert Philbrick, the man who sagely observed that the real enemy within our boundaries has not been essentially the card-carrying Communist, but rather the brain-washed fellow travelers. – Vickie Knight, Owner, Key Records

Coldwater Flat - The Three Sound & Oliver Nelson

 

Star Trek

Coldwater Flat

The Three Sounds and The Oliver Nelson Orchestra

Produced by Jack Tracy

Arranger: Oliver Nelson

Art Direction: Woody Woodward

Design: Gabor Halmos

Cover Photography: Ken Kim

Blue Note BST-84285

A Product of Liberty Records

1968

The Three Sounds:

Gene Harris - Piano

Andrew Simpkins - Bass

Donald Bailey - Drums

From the inside cover: No matter what jazz persuasion you may prevailingly subscribe to, you should be warmly snug to be in the jazz aura of the meld of The Three Sounds and the big band conducted by Oliver Nelson. This value judgement is made in response to the current examination of the gross lack of communication between what composer-musicologist George Rochberg terms the performance culture – which continues to dominate the classical music world of our society – and the creative culture which is trying to modify and extend the range of musical consciousness. Rochberg is disenchanted with the unhealthy way in which the curators of the performance culture and Musical Establishment invest only in a repertoire marked with past success. This condition is relevant to one of the several directions jazz has been moving in. Specifically, the vital experience of contemporary culture representing what occurs on the screen, on the stage, in art galleries, in books, and the music of the younger generation does, indeed, contribute to the jazz repertoire. But the repertoire is just one of many components of concern in the world of jazz. Another basic difference is that jazzmanship in its natural set of behavioral relationships fuses both performance and creativeness into a single system. And it is this blending process which the team of The Three Sounds and Oliver Nelson achieve so beautifully on this album.

By reputation and in fact, The Three Sounds is a tight swinging trio. Have you ever shared the music of The Three Sounds in person? Unless one is anesthetized or completely out of it in some other way(s) it is literally inconceivable that the driving, buoyant swing and tenacity does not imprison your attention. Overt enjoyment in performing for its audiences reflect the trio's desire to share the music: this expectancy is a consistent and happy one wherein there holds high respect for his bassist of twelve years, Andy Simpkins and drummer Donald Bailey whose attributes triggers Gene into praise. Gene has said, "This is the trio I've been waiting for." This inspired, open attitude prompts this remark, "I never hold the trio back. I let the guys go wherever the feelings direct them. I believe that music should be shared."

On this LP the performing and creating act is shared by Oliver Nelson whose ace-high services for big band scoring assignments is sought by more people than he can probably accommodate. This gifted craftsman is highly regarded for his unconventional, challenging and fresh approaches to arranging and composing. He is a natural complement to the philosophy of the trio because Oliver's music swings up front and swings big. The symbiotic process on this album began with the trio recording precisely what they wanted to sound like as a unit without orchestral embellishment. – for he decided to arrange the big band score on the rationale of remaining unobtrusive and providing a supportive backdrop. Therefore, working around the trio's original arrangements meant that the integrity of its concepts was judiciously preserved. Following these phases, the recording was ultimately produced together in the studio.

Regarding Oliver's ability to capture the feeling, essence, and flavor of the trio, Gene Harris was enthusiastic, "Oliver felt everything I was doing, utilizing the trio's chord progressions. His basic approach was fitting the reeds and trombones to my left hand and the trumpets to my right. Oliver was stimulated by the fullness of our sound and he was elated with the session. And it's a rare thing today in the studios when musicians in the whole band hang around to dig the replays!" And about big bands, Gene commented, "I dig big bands! You know I play with all ten fingers, but I wish I had fifteen." – Herb Wong - KJAZ, San Francisco and Jazz Editor, Urban West and FM & the Fine Arts

Lonely Bottles

The Look Of Love (from the Columbia Pictures release "Casino Royale")

Georgia

Grass Is Greener

Coldwater Flat

Last Train To Clarksville

My Romance

Do Do Do (What Now Is Next)

Star Trek

Ira Ironstrings Plays Santa Claus

 

Christmas Is For The Birds

Ira Ironstrings Plays Santa Claus

Christmas Music For Those Who Have Heard Everything

Produced by Lou Busch

Warner Bros. B 1339

1959

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Jingle Bells Stomp

Skater's Nightmare

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Christmas Is For The Birds

My Two Front Teeth

Deck Them Halls

Over The River And Through The Woods

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Frosty The Snow Man

Sleigh Ride 

Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town

The Modern Jazz Sextet

 

Dizzy Meets Sonny

The Modern Jazz Sextet

Supervised by Norman Granz

Cover Design by David Stone Martin

Norgran Records MG N-1076

1956

From the back cover: Here is a jazz unit that includes the basic ingredients of the Down Beat award – winning Modern Jazz Quartet – and more besides. What is added, essentially, is a strong sense of vitality contributed by the trumpet of Dizzy Gillespie and the alto saxophone of Sonny Stitt. You might call this a super-imposition as well as a blend since the addition of Gillespie and Stitt in no way alters what has already been set down by the quartet, namely an inventive, tasteful approach to jazz as well as an unfailing swinging approach. With Dizzy and Sonny on hand there's no loss in any of these vital departments and much to be gained besides.

What piano-and-rhythm section quartet wouldn't be bolstered, after all, by Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Stitt? Unity clearly was no problem since pianist John Lewis and Dizzy Gillespie are associates of many years standing. In fact, it was Lewis who helped Dizzy's big band in the last 1940s as arranger and pianist. Although he is ranked high as a pianist, Lewis' forte is arranging and he has arranged considerable in the past for Dizzy – and one of Lewis' important works, "Tocata for Trumpet and Orchestra" was introduced to a Carnegie Hall audience in 1947 by none other than John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie. Stitt has also worked previously with John Lewis, mainly in the same Gillespie big band.

In this album the group devotes the A side to two Dizzy Gillespie originals, "Tour de Force," which is aptly named for it is precisely that, and "Dizzy Meets Sonny," a musical introduction, as it were, with appropriate byplay between the two artists. The B side Ballad Medley finds the three soloists in expressive form, each in a separate ballad – Stitt takes "Old Folks" while Lewis is heard on "What's New" and Gillespie on another standard, "How Deep Is The Ocean?" In addition to a sprightly version of the standard "Mean To Me," there's also a tribute to Charlie "Yardbird" Parker entitled "Blues For Bird," co-authored by Gillespie and Stitt. Through it all, of course, there is the rhythmic anchor of Percy Heath's bass as well as Skeeter Best's guitar and the drums of Charlie Persip.

Tour De France

Dizzy Meets Sonny

Ballad Medley

   Old Folks

   What's New

   How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky)

Mean To Me

Blues For Bird

The 2nd John Handy Album

 

Scheme #1

The 2nd John Handy Album

The John Handy Quintet

Produced by John Hammond

Columbia Records CS 9367

1966

John Handy - Alto and Tenor Saxophone

Jerry Hahn - Guitar

Mike White - Violin

Don Thompson - Bass

Terry Clarke - Drums, Glockenspiel

From the back cover: Art does not always blossom in the cultural hothouses built for it by well-meaning society. It has a habit of appearing in the most unlikely places, where the well-shod feet of the patrons of the arts never tread.

Thus, when poet Kenneth Rexroth and I tried to tell several members of the music establishment on a educational television program that the most important experimental music being played this year in San Francisco was not being heard at the traditional Opera House nor in the concert halls, but the dimly lit rendezvous for young people called The Both/And, they simply did not believe us.

The music we were referring to was that of the John Handy Quintet, and this album of that music proves the truth of what we were saying. The new, live, important American music has been coming from the jazz musicians for decades now, and who will deny it who can accept reality? What music will produce in the future is unpredictable, but the basic experimental bent of adventuresome jazz musicians such as Handy, combined with the incredible emotional intensity and control which is part of the best jazz music, is providing something that may outlast concert halls themselves.

What confuses some people, even genuine music listeners, is the assumption that some kinds of music are "better" than others, that jazz is entertainment, and it is astonishing that anything good comes out of it.

I submit to you the concept that John Handy's performance in this album of his composition Scheme #1 is important American music in any context, by any standards and, above all, by the standards set through the history of music itself by the great experimenter-composers. It seems to me it is a good thing that Handy does not play an entire program of this kind of music; we would not be able to stand up under it – the impact would be entirely too strong!

In the hard world of the music business in which jazz groups live, Handy's diversification is one of his greatest assets. No one conducts fund-raising campaigns to keep them working, no one organizes associations, grants, endowments or establishes foundation to subsidize jazz. It must exist on its own merit. This is one of the reasons why it has such strength. It has to have it!

When jazz music is produced by virtuoso musicians playing at their best, as in this album, they can successfully take an audience through such a variety of moods and feelings that there is something for almost everyone.

"We enjoyed making this album," John Handy says. "We played the tunes shorter and better in the recording studio. We were really exhausted by the long sets we were playing at Shelly's Manne Hole, where we were working, and it was satisfying to play them shorter in the studio.

"Dancy Dance was written in 1957 for my little boy, John Handy IV. When he heard it and was told it was for him, he was delighted. It's a simple little melody – I had never thought much about it and never thought we'd perform it, but when Jerry Hahn joined us, the rhythm section listened to it twice and wanted to play it, no lead sheet, just play it.

"Theme X is in 5/4 time – we've been playing this one for quite a while. I gave it its name for lack of something to call it. We're getting into the 5/4 time now without being conscious of where 1 is all the time. The song is in the same mode as 'If Only I Knew,' in our first album, and Jerry Hahn bends notes like a sitar – he plays quarter tones, and it's a great vehicle to improvise on. It's difficult to do this on a saxophone – to bend notes and play quarter notes – and I can only do it on certain notes.

"Blues For A Highstrung Guitar I wrote when we were working at The Both/And. I Wanted something people who would not ordinarily dig jazz would like to listen to but not so down home it would be only fort the Memphis Slim and Howlin' Wolf fans. It's the first time I wrote something with a definite purpose in mind. The tag on the end is perfect for Jerry Hahn to play!

"Dance For Carlo B I wrote for my first wife. It doesn't use the traditional Latin rhythms – I didn't want to follow any established formula. It's one of the more subtle tings we've done. We never rise much above a whisper, and yet it grabs you. The tension is in there and you get to it.

"Scheme #1 was written for a Carnegie Hall studio concert I gave on May 1, 1962. It was my own presentation, the way I thought jazz should be presented. I wrote six things for the concert. 'If Only We Knew' was in it, and it was a good concert Scheme #1 was my wildest venture with a small group. It was originally written for piano, bass and saxophone. There are more things I would like to do in this direction in the future, but that doesn't mean I want to abandon all the other things we do. I even like schmaltz! But this direction is where I want to go. There are a lot of arranged parts in it and it might have been easier to do with a conductor – it's hard to play and conduct at the same time."

In these words John Handy makes an interesting statement, "There are more things I would like to do in this direction," he says. I asked him to talk more about this. He thought a while and said, "All of this is in preparation for types of composition I want to do later. All of it will culminate in something I'm working toward."

There speaks the true artist. It is all part of the body of work, every piece, and it is all evidence of the surging vitality in the best of jazz.

If this should be your first meeting with the Handy Quintet, you should know that violinist Michael White does not play an amplified violin, but rather a regular violin held close to the microphone; guitarist Jerry Hahn has worked with rock bands, Country and Western groups and jazz units; bassist Terry Clarke numbers among his fans the entire Woody Herman band and Charlie Watts, the Rolling Stones' drummer, whose one desire, on his last trip to the West Coast, was to find out where John Handy was playing so he could hear Terry Clarke. – Ralph J. Gleason

Dancy Dance

Theme X Blues For A HighStrung Guitar

Dance For Carlo B

Scheme #1

The Way We Were - George Shearing

 

Superstar

The Way We Were

George Shearing

The Quintet and Amigos

Produced by MPS Records at the MPS Studios in Villingen

Recording and Mixing: Hand Georg Brunner-Schwer

Assistant Director: Willi Furt

Executive Supervision & Cover: Baldhard Folk

MSP Stereo MC 25351

1974

From the back cover: There are those who argue (and I admit freely to having been among them from time to time) that a quarter of a century is a long, long time to keep a jazz group together and an even longer time to keep your sound intact, when all around you are changing theirs and blaming it on rock. But there is another and valid side to this argument, namely that any instrument combination that can sustain itself, through all the vicissitudes of pop music and jazz over that period, must have something inherently meaningful for a large segment of the world's population. Not that George Shearing has been impervious to change. As far back as 1954 he began using a Latin percussionist, Armando Peraza, who remained with him for a decade. On various other occasions he has conducted such experiments as working with an organist, dispensing with the guitar and vibes, and of course, in a number of albums, surrounding himself was a larger orchestra. Through all these changes, the Shearing sound has remained as precise and tasteful as ever, smooth and mellow on the ballads for those who want it that way, live and pulsing on the up tempos and particularly on those involving some sort of Latin Beat.

For the present album, George assembled a group that was quite unusual in its constitution. Two of his regular sidemen were used: Rusty Jones on Drums and bassist Andy Simpkins, the latter a veteran of the Shearing entourage since the late 1960s (Andy was part of the Shearing trio on George's first MPS album, Light, Airy And Swinging.) TO them he added two outstanding Laint-American musicians, both familiar figures on the West Coast scene, Chino Valdes and Carmelo Garcia. Rounding out the personnel with the complementary guitar and vibes were two German musicians, Sigi Schwab and Heribert Thusek respectively. What struck me immediately on listening to the tapes was, first, that the uniquely distinctive Shearing blend has been maintained, yet along with this identity there is diversification, through the use of pop tunes in a Latin treatment that reaches out a various points into the borderline of jazz, rock, folk and classical music.  On some tracks, notably Marvin Hamlisch's The Way We Were with its interesting 12/8 treatment, and Killing Me Softly, the essence is pure Shearing all the way. On several, there are devices long associated with George and used with particular ingenuity here. For example, the fugue-like interlude in Elanor Rigby sets this version apart from any other interpretations I have heard of the Lennon-McCartney standard. (This, incidentally, is the senior citizen among the tunes performed, dating back to 1966. It's closely followed by Do You Know The Way To San Jose and Aquarius, both 1967 products.)

The Shearing facility for keeping a good groove going and sustaining it all the way to the end is noticeable especially in the outgoing vamp of San Jose, the percussion fade on The World Is A Ghetto and the remarkable finale on Superstar which suddenly (and quite spontaneously during the recording session) switched from bolero to baroque.

The interpretation of Brain's Song is short, sweet and as beautiful as this stunning Michel Legrand melody would lead you to expect. Stevie Wonder's You Are The Sunshine Of My Life is decorated, at either end, by a series of fascinating piano-guitar breaks based on augmented intervals. Finally, Alone Again (Naturally) sounds as if it had been designed as an Afro-Cuban or Latin-American work.

In fact, George Shearing and his associates have succeeded in bringing these relatively new tunes into his own fold and making them all sound as if they had belonged there originally. It becomes irrelevant that most of the tunes at the time of their first popularity were vocals. In couple of instances, it seems to me, the melodies were stronger than the lyrics, but whether this was the case or not, George has managed, as has been his wont for Lo these many years, to distill something very personal and personable out of each work, and bring to all these pop hits a quality that sets them in a different category from the objectives of those who first put them on the charts.

A word should be added in praise of the recording. The Shearing sound is a very special and potentially elusive mix. It was captured with complete fidelity by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer at his MPS Studios in Villingen.

George deserves nothing but the best in committing of his work to tape and disc. Clearly on this occasion it has been accorded him, enabling us to hear this admirable assemblage of musicians the way they were, the way they are. – Leonard Feather (Author of The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the 60s, Horizon Press)

The Way We Were

Do You Know The Way To San Jose

Killing Me Softly

The World Is A Ghetto

Superstar

Eleanor Rigby

Brain's Song

Aquarius

You Are The Sunshine Of My Life

Along Again (Naturally)

Country... The Wright Way - Johnny Wright

 

The Devil's Own

Country... The Wright Way

Johnny Wright

Cover Photo: Hal Buksbaum

Decca Records DL 4846

1967

From the back cover: Johnny had never been known as what show business calls a "single" until the passing of his beloved partner, Jack Anglin. But when it became a cold, hard fact that he had to go on alone.. well, go on he did... and succeed he did. Since becoming the fellow who occupies the spotlighted position on a stage all by himself, Johnny Wright has been all around the world. Even in countries where large parts of his crowds weren't able to understand English, the sincerity of his manner became sort of universally understood language.

Johnny Wright has become an institution within the field of country showmanship. You see, we didn't just coin the phrase "Wright Way" to have something catchy to put on the cover. Professionals in country music have been using that term for years to describe Johnny's distinctive way with a song. The Wright way is respected because it's as straightforward and honest as the day is long. If there is good, better, and best in country music, there is no question which one of those words applies to Johnny Wright!

Think Of Me

I'm Doing This For Daddy

Swinging Doors

Racing Man

Immune To Love

The Shoe Goes On The Other Foot Tonight

Mama's Little Jewel

Making Ends Meet

Drinking Beer And Shedding Tears

Open Up You Heart

The Devil's Own

Nothing From Nothing

Daddy'a Little Angel - Doc Williams

 

Daddy's Little Angel

My Canada

Daddy's Little Angel

Doc Williams

Quality Records SV 1849

1970

From the back cover: Carrying the title "A Living Legend" is a great and grave responsibility; but Doc Williams carries it well... with the utmost dignity, professionalism and sincere humility. Because Doc knows full well that it is the PEOPLE... the audiences who have been so faithful to him for so many years, that have MADE him this legend. And perhaps that's why the song Doc Williams sings are songs of and about the PEOPLE: those common, everyday situations and event that never make the front pages, but that affect and control the lives of all of us. But, after all, isn't that what country music is really all about? Isn't that what has made country music as well liked by so many people the world over?

Again in this great new album, beyond a doubt Doc's best, he is singing about PEOPLE and FOR people. The title song is a case in point: A real "slice of life" that well being tears to millions of eyes. Asked about "Daddy's Little Angel" written especially for this album by one of Doc's closest friends, Jack Jackson, Doc said "This is the most powerful song to come to me since Chickie recorded "Beyond The Sunset". You'll agree when you hear it. This great artist sang it like he sings every song... straight from the heart!

Doc KNOWS the people he sings to. Since 1937, for 33 consecutive years, he has been a star of "The World's Original WWVA Jamboree", now known as JAMBOREE USA. With this famous show being broadcast every Saturday night over 50,000-watt WWVA out of Wheeling, W. Va., the name and sound of Doc Williams is known to countless millions thru-out the north-east and all of eastern Canada. In addition, he gets out to the people, and his popular show has been seen "in person" in just about every corner of these 23 states and six provinces. In fact, to many people, Doc Williams and WWVA's Jamboree USA are most one-and-the-same. Those in music respect him for his continuing success as a business man, label-owner and publisher, but to Doc and his musical family (wife Chickie and daughters Barbara, Madeline and Karen), meeting and entertaining people is and always has been their first love.

"Daddy's Little Angel" is bound to be one of Doc's most popular albums. Not only is this a fine collection of songs, done in this straight-from-the-heart manner, but producer Billy Grammar gathered some of Nashville's top studio side-men for the sessions. After listening to Doc over WWVA, seeing him on Jamboree USA, or enjoying his show on one of his many tours, I'm certain you'll want to add this latest collection of his efforts to your own personal record library! – Quentin W. Welty, Gen. Mgr. Jamboree UAS, Inc. Radio Station WWVA, Wheeling, W. Va.

Daddy's Little Angel

A Beautiful Picture

Already Back From Being Away

King And Queen

Big Man

San Antonio Rose

My West Virginia Home

My Canada

Yardstock Minnie Brown

City, I Want To Go Home

A Faded Rose, A Broken Heart

The Best Of Johnny Bush

 

My Joy

The Best Of Johnny Bush

Million Records LP No. 1001

1972

From the back cover: Johnny Bush became a very successful recording artist through hard work and determination. He has earned for himself a place of high esteem in Country Music. Johnny Bush has climbed the ladder of success one step at a time, starting with his first release in March 1967 entitled, "You Ought To Hear Me Cry," which was written by Willie Nelson. This song brought the first National attention to Johnny Bush. His next release in Jan. 1968, "What A Way To Live," added fuel to the flame started by his first release. Then in May 1968 came the release of a song entitled, "Undo The Right" written by Willie Nelson and Hank Cochran. This record took him to number three in the National Record Charts. Orders for the record were heavy across the Nation. Johnny then formed his own band to tour with him as the demand for his talent spread across the Country. The next release up the ladder of success for Johnny came in Nov. 1969 with a song entitled "Each Time," again placing high on the charts. "You Gave Me A Mountain," in Feb. 1969 was his next release. Written by Marty Robbins, this song was a departure from the previous releases for Johnny. The song was riding high in the POP charts. Johnny gave a powerful performance of the song and took a giant step up the ladder of success. Then came the release on "My Cup Runneth Over," June 1969, "Warmth Of The Wine," April 1970, "My Joy," August 1970, "City Lights," Feb. 1971, "It's All In The Game," August 1971. Each record placing high in the National record charts and record sales. "I'll Be There" released in March 1972 has proven so far the most powerful release yet for Johnny. Johnny Bush has truly taken one step at a time up the ladder of success. as one of Johnny Bush's most devoted fans, if and when Johnny makes an appearance anywhere near, you can bet that "I'll Be There."

I'll Be There

City Light

What A Way To Live

My Joy

My Cup Runneth Over

It's All In The Game

Undo The Right

You Gave Me A Mountain

You Ought To Hear Me Cry

Each Time

Jim, Jack And Rose

Warmth Of The Wine

Elton Britt Sings

 

Cowpoke

Chicken Reel

Eton Britt Sings (side one)

The Renfre Valley Pioneers (side two)

Premier Albums PS-9044

1966

From the back cover: Elton started singing professionally at fourteen. He's famous for being album to yodel higher than anyone else in the world. "Perhaps being able to reach high notes comes to me naturally", Elton says, explaining that his mother was born and brought up high in the Ozark Mountains and he himself first saw the light of day in the Osage Hills of Oklahoma. Like so many other famous country artists, Britt is a combination of Cherokee Indian and Irish stock.

One of Elton Britt's million-selling hits is included here "Rovin' Gambler". His rendition of the long-time popular folk song captured the heart of the country.

Elton Britt

Rovin' Gambler

Cowpoke

A Mighty Pretty Waltz

Chime Bells

They're Running Down The House I Was Brung Up In

The Renfre Valley Pioneers

Sweet Dixie

The Chicken Reel

Big Maggie

Lonesome Road

Baby Sue