Soprano Summit - Bob Wilber & Kenny Davern

 

The Mooche

Soprano Summit
Bob Wilber & Kenny Davern

Producer: Barker Hickox / Hickox Productions, Phoenix, Arizona
Album Cover: Jim O'Connell/M.P.I.
Recorded December 17, 21, 22, 1973 at Vanguard Studios, N.Y.C.
Engineering and Mixing by Noel Edward with Jeff Zaraya, assisting
World Jazz WJLP-S-5
1974

Bob Wilber - Soprano Sax, Clarinet

Kenny Davern - Soprano Sax, Clarinet
Dick Hyman - Piano
Bucky Pizzarelli - Guitar, Banjo
Bob Rosengarden - Drums
George Diuvivier or Milton Hinton - Bass

From the back cover: The jazz tradition is incredibly rich, yet much of it lies fallow in the grooves of old records, cherished by specialists and collectors, but seldom if ever brought to life the only way music really can be-in the playing of it.This beautiful album brings some forgotten music back to life, but not in the manner of the so-called revivalists, who strive to copy the past. This is new music; fresh, contemporary, not like anything you've heard before. Bob Wilber, Kenny Davern and their colleagues are not recreators but creators. It is the spirit, not the letter of a great tradition that is so lovingly resurrected here.

"Soprano Summit" is an appropriate title. Wilber and Davern are among the top practitioners of this most demanding of the saxophones - an instrument that in recent years, in part due to the influence of John Coltrane, has become unprecedentedly popular in jazz circles.

The soprano, of course, is synonymous with the man who brought it into jazz, the immortal Sidney Bechet. His musical legacy – as composer as well as player – is newly illuminated here. But let us not forget that Bechet was also a great clarinetist - Wilber hasn't.

In contrast to the soprano, the clarinet – once one of the dominant horns in jazz - has fallen into relative obscurity. Hearing Wilber and Davern do the instrument justice here makes the listener aware of just how regrettable this neglect is.

On both their instruments, the two hornmen excel not only as soloists but in team work, and this is one important aspect of the tradition I've been talking about: True ensemble spirit; two individualists adjusting to each other; creative give-and-take; the joy of playing together.

Obviously, this can't be accomplished successfully without the support of a proper rhythm section. The one Wilber has assembled here is truly an all-star team. Dick Hyman is the most versatile pianist I know, with a complete knowledge and understanding of the total history of the jazz keyboard. Moreover, he is a masterful interpreter and team player. His work here will surprise even those who know his worth.

Guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli is beginning to get some of the public acclaim that has long been his due; musicians don't need to be told of his many virtues. Milt Hinton and George Duvivier, the alternating bassists, are two of the great masters of the art of rhythmic and musical sup port, at home in any situation. Their mere presence lent an air of assurance to the proceedings.

Bob Rosengarden, best known as the bandleader on the Dick Cavett Show (and presently musical director of the Empire Room at New York's Waldorf Astoria), may off-hand seem the odd man in the section. But Wilber, who has encountered Bobby in various playing situations, notably at Dick Gibson's Colorado Jazz Parties, made a wise choice. Bobby has inspiriting, swinging time, and hasn't played so-called "traditional" jazz often enough to become trapped in the rhythmic clichés too many drummers are wont to impose on their unwilling cohorts.

This album should do much to put the talents of Kenny Davern in rightful perspective. He's had far too little re- corded exposure, especially in recent years, and hardly ever in the right circumstances, but now the drought, happily, seems to be over. He has just been well show. cased on Dick Hyman's investigations of the music of Jelly Roll Morton (Columbia), and has made two albums with his good friend Dick Wellstood: a quartet effort (for Seeds) and a unique soprano-piano duet date (for Chiaroscuro). And now this stimulating 'partnership with perhaps his only peer in terms of musical as well as instrumental orientation.

To those who love them both, this encounter between Wilber and Davern on records is a dream come true. I think it was Red Balaban, an enterprising bassist-ban-joist-organizer, who first had the good sense to bring these two together; they have since appeared in tandem. at a Colorado Jazz Party, at a memorable outdoor concert on New York's Park Avenue, and at a concert celebrating The World's Greatest Jazz Band's fifth anniversary. Because they have so much in common, yet are such totally different personalities, they complement each other perfectly. There's just the right amount of together ness and stimulating competitiveness to make musical sparks fly. Each brings out the best in the other.

Bob Wilber has surpassed himself here in all the facets of his talent: as arranger, player, composer, catalyst, and musical thinker. Because much writing and criticism about jazz tends to view the music as a series of consecutive stylistic "progressions", a unique musician like Wilber, who was captivated by Bechet at a point in historical time when others went with Charlie Parker, and whose development since his early days as Bechet's star pupil has not followed orthodox paths, has been classified as a "mainstream" player, which, curiously enough, tends to mean someone who is not really in the main. stream of the music.

To me, Wilber and his most gifted contemporaries (such as Dick Wellstood and the somewhat younger Davern) are the true custodians of the living jazz tradition, aware of the whole spectrum of the music, and choosing to work within the areas they find most appeal. ing. (to the extent that any working musician is permitted the luxury of artistic choices as distinct from practical ones).

What Wilber has done here is multi-faceted. He has taken some fine, unusual pieces of music associated with the great triumvirate of New Orleans reeds – Bechet, Johnny Dodds. Jimmy Noone and reexamined them in the light of his own musical personality and experience. He has paid homage to another giant who touched him deeply, Johnny Hodges, with a beautiful new composition in the spirit of his prior Hodges pieces (Dreaming Butterfly, New City Ditty). He has written a piece in yet another neglected reed tradition, that of the virtuoso clarinet as represented by Benny Goodman. He has taken an older composition of his own (Penny Rag, a collaboration with Max Kaminsky) and re-invested it with reedy redolence. And he has made wonderfully creative use of the possibilities of a two-reed front line in all its many potential combinations of sonorities and juxtapositions, as well as of such stimulating but now seldom well-used classic jazz devices as stop time rhythm, chase choruses, breaks, etc.

In the studio, it soon became apparent that the musicians were unusually stimulated by the unhackneyed and challenging yet naturally musical and logical tasks that confronted them. The situation was anything but routine, and there was no trace of the attitude of the jaded professional, though several of these men record almost every day of the week, and more than once a day. Nobody was in a rush.

Each man really cared about doing his part, and there was mutual admiration, astonishment, and best of all, pleasure in creating genuine, living contemporary music in a spirit that invoked the past without patronizing or idolizing it. I've witnessed many a recording session, but few (if any) with such a pervasive atmosphere of involve. ment, of wanting to hear how this came out, of trying to see how that could be improved - all in a spirit of both joy and high seriousness. And isn't that the spirit it's all about?

Swing Parade, a Sidney Bechet composition recorded by him in 1941, is a rousing opener. The ensemble fea- tures two sopranos. The solo exchanges (at first in stop time) after Hyman's stride solo (Bucky takes the bridge) are by Bob and Kenny, in that order, and the ensuing collective rideout ends on a joyful high note. This is a good track for getting acquainted with the two distinct soprano sounds.

Egyptian Fantasy also stems from Bechet and a 1941 recording. The two clarinets are featured, and they blend beautifully in warm hues. Note Hyman's chromatic piano accompaniment in the A section (in G minor). In the next section (in B flat). Kenny takes the first set of solo breaks, Bob the second. Also note Bucky's mysterioso fills in the final segment, and the great tremolo and glis. sando ending.

Oh Sister, Ain't That Hot, a charming early-'20s piece by Walter Donaldson, was a staple in the repertoire of Jimmie Noone's Apex Club band, which had an instru mentation almost identical with this group. Kenny opens with the verse on clarinet, joined by Bob's soprano on the chorus. For the second chorus, Bob plays lead a la Joe Poston, with Kenny in the appropriate Noone groove. After Hyman's fleet piano bit, there are fine breaks by Kenny and a soaring stop time solo by Bob. They swing on out together, backed by Rosengarden's Chinese crash cymbal (courtesy Kenny D. via Jack Bradley – they don't make them any more). The ending is a gas.

Stealin' Away is not the famous spiritual but a blues re corded by Johnny Dodds in 1929 with a group called the Paramount Pickers. Backed by Pizzarelli and Hinton only, the two clarinets conjure up an intimate, end-of-the-night quality. After Bob's lead on the verse, Kenny plays the lead and the break on the first chorus, Bob on the second. Kenny solos first, very blue; Bob delves into his warm lower register for his say. Bucky's gentle chorded solo is backed by bass only, while Milt's has background harmony from the clarinets, who go out with a fine riff, first in lower register, then up high.

Johnny Was There, Bob's moving tribute to Mr. Hodges, features the beautiful soprano sound of the composer, joined most effectively by Kenny for the climax what a blend! (It's hard enough to keep one soprano in tune: these two play harmony as if to the manner born.) The haunting ending is enhanced by Hyman's Ducal fills. Rabbit would have liked this..

Penny Rag is the aforementioned Wilber collaboration with Max Kaminsky, from a time when the trumpeter was leading the house band at Eddie Condon's, with Bob aboard, and a series of compositions in the idiom of the Louis Armstrong Hot Five were devised and recorded for Seeburg Transcriptions when Joe Marsala was the recording director there. It's quite a piece, in three sections, of which the D-flat one (Bob calls it the "carousel" section) is particularly lovely-a real rag, made-to-order for the present revival. Bob plays soprano, Kenny clarinet, both superbly. The final ensemble really sings – it's that kind of melody and feeling. Dig Bob's break!

Side two opens with another Bechet masterpiece, The Fish Man a big hit for the Old Man in France. A merengue (Bechet once made some Haitian records, by the way), it opens with Kenny on clarinet and Bob on soprano; after their duet, Bob slashes out and Kenny follows. now also on soprano, for a chase-and-duet and fine fish-horn finale. This is dance music of the first order, and the rhythm team (Bucky on his uncle's fancy banjo here) really takes charge, Chinese cymbal again to the fore.

The Mooche, one of the few better known pieces on this LP, is an Ellington staple-a survivor from the band's Jungle period certainly bearing the stamp of co-composer Bubber Miley. The opening finds Rosengarden recalling Sonny Greer's temple blocks; he goes to tom. toms behind the two sopranos. After the blues ensemble, Bob's low-register clarinet is answered by Kenny's soprano in two choruses of call-and-response. Bob returns to soprano for four-bar exchanges led off by Kenny. They riff behind the piano solo, sock it out together, return to the G-minor strain, and take breaks (BW/BW/KD/KD). Dig the mysterious, tremoloed ending. By the way, Duke's favorite record of this piece was by Bechet. Hope he hears this.

Where Are We? is Kenny Davern's solo contribution to the date. I love the sound he gets on his clarinet; few cats fill the horn like that. The tune is pretty: Kenny says he wrote the melody but didn't like the changes-bassist Jack Six, a frequent associate, wrote the ones heard here. This tells a story in just one chorus, backed by guitar and bass only.

Please Clarify is Bob's salute to the Goodman tradition, or rather, the part of it represented by things like Clarinade (fittingly, Hyman does a marvelous Mel Powell here). It has two strains; the one in D-minor has that Russian-Jewish flavor. On the B-flat interlude, Bob solos first, then Kenny, and they continue in that order. Some tough stuff here for the clarinet chops, passed in flying colors.

Song of Songs is a 1914 continental European pop song, and so filled with nostalgia the damned thing almost makes me cry. Bechet told Wilber he used to play this with Will Marion Cook's Southern Syncopated Orchestra the band with which he set Europe on its ear" in 1919. This is strictly a soprano party, shamelessly. gloriously romantic, both men making love to the melody the way the Old Man could do it, in his best Richard Tauber cum creole soul manner. (Jazz is a way of play. ing, of singing music - all kinds.) The rundown: ad lib verse, Kenny first, then both entwined, then Bob, then both. Bob states the theme (now intempo) first, then Kenny over a countermelody. The verse (again ad lib) has BW/KD/BW/KD dialog, then they jointly weave the chorus. The ad lib cadenza features Bob, and then they go out together, hitting that nice fat chord smack in the face. Lovely!

Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland makes for a cheerful ending to a great trip, and illuminates Wilber's arranging gifts once more. It's a most imaginative treatment of an old American standard. Bob is on clarinet, Kenny on soprano, and all sorts of things happen, all nice. Among them: Hyman's brilliant solo over stop-time rhythm (I'm very fond of backgrounds to piano solos), and the band playing the melody, stop time, behind the opening of Bob's elegant solo. (He got the idea, he told me, from Jimmie Noone's Apex Club things "with Bud Scott play. ing lead behind Noone solo.") Kenny leads the way out, and there's a duet break a la Oliver. "These guys have so much time, they don't even need a rhythm section," said Bucky Pizzarelli of Messrs. Wilber and Davern.

Well, there you have it. Without hyperbole, one of the most enjoyable, most musically satisfying and imaginative recordings of contemporary jazz music to come along in the '70s. This is one to keep. – DAN MORGENSTERN

Swing Parade
Egyptian Fantasy
Oh, Sister, Ain't That Hot
Stealin' Away
Johnny Was There
Penny Rag
The Fish Man

The Mooche
Where Are We?

Please Clarify
Song Of Songs
Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland

Happy Time Cha Chas - Ricardo Juarez

 

Cha Cha Militaire

Happy Time Cha Chas
Ricardo Juarez and His Orchestra
Produced and Originated by Enoch Light
Grand Awards Record Co. GA 254 SD
1960

From the back cover: The happiest dancers in the past year or two have been the ones who have danced to the happy rhythms of the cha cha. And it's not just because the cha cha has deservedly become the most popular dance to reach the United States from south of the border in a long, long time. A big part of the happy time that comes from cha-cha- ing is the mixture of lovely, familiar tunes that we all know with the tempting cha cha beat that gets everyone out on the dance floor. This mixture was popularized by Enoch Light and His Light Brigade when he recorded I WANT TO BE HAPPY CHA CHA for Grand Award. Now Ricardo Juarez and his orchestra carry the idea even further by joining some of the greatest popular American tunes to the authentic cha cha beat that this orchestra knows so well in arrangements that sparkle with imagination and excitement.

The cha cha beat puts these wonderful songs in a fresh and provocative perspective. With the stirring rhythm of the cha cha pulsing excitingly underneath them, the melodies come out in a precise, jaunty way that makes them step along with a delightful flair. And the arrange- ments are full of variety, rousing exchanges and mixtures of sounds as the throbbing beat of bongos, timbales, congo drums, cowbells and scratchers weaves in and out of the brass and reed ensembles; while exciting accents are added by flutes and guitars, and an extra percussive wallop comes from the bright tones of the xylophone and the gutty prodding of the Hammond organ.

You'll hear the wave of joyous sound that occurs when a happy alto saxophone rises suddenly and sweepingly out of TWO CIGARETTES IN THE DARK, when a muted trom-

bone starts to swing over the cha cha beat of IT'S A SIN TO TELL A LIE, when both the alto saxophone and the muted trombone exchange brief intricate solos during SHOULD I and the gorgeous tone of the open trombone appears on TOO YOUNG.

BREEZIN' ALONG WITH THE BREEZE becomes even breezier than the breeze when the organ floats like a zephyr through the ensembles and the solos. KISS ME AGAIN is made as light and airy as a puff ball by the risingly rippling undercurrent of the saxophones and the organ. There's excitement, too, in the duel between the bongos and the conga drum that brings YOUNG IN HEART to a stirring climax.

But possibly the most unusual arrangement in this collection and certainly the most un- usual cha cha ever recorded is the brilliant CHA CHA MILITAIRE. Ricardo Juarez has caught all the splendor and excitement of a huge marching band and has transfered it to a cha cha that glistens with a gloriously brassy sound, with ruffles and flourishes from a drum corps gone excitingly native and with the big splashy crash of enormous cymbals.

Besides the happy dancing, the stimulating listening and the spectacular stereophonic high fidelity recording of these happy time cha cha's, many of the arrangements start out with passages played first on one speaker alone, then duplicated on the other. This is done so that you can be sure that the balance between your speakers is absolutely precise. Listen carefully to these balancing passages and be certain that you are hearing all of the full, realistic sound that skillful engineering has put in the grooves of this record.

Too Young Cha Cha
Sweet And Lovely Cha Cha
Young At Heart Cha Cha
Cha Cha Militaire
Kiss Me Again Cha Cha
Moonlight And Roses Cha Cha
Too Marvelous For Words
Two Cigarettes In The Dark
Breezin' Along With The Breeze Cha Cha
It's A Sin To Tell A Lie Cha Cha
It Might As Well Be Spring Cha Cha
Should I Cha Cha

Ray Price Sings Heart Songs

 

Blues Stay Away From Me

Ray Price Sings Heart Songs
Columbia Records CL 1015

From the back cover: In popular usage, a "heart song" is one that is fundamentally sentimental, more often than not with a touch of sadness about it, and it is songs such as these that Ray Price presents in this brand-new collection. Most of them, of course, are familiar hits from the past, newly recorded by Ray as a sentimental offering, and few singers today are better qualified to give these songs that extra something that enhances their attraction.Since 1951, Ray Price has been one of Columbia's major stars, singing his way into the affections of millions of listeners, not only on his best-selling records but on radio as well. Only recently, Ray was awarded one of the first of Columbia's "Gold Guitars" for his latest, Crazy Arms. Ray's specialties have always been ballads, although he is equally gifted when it comes to a lively tune, and some of his greatest successes have been scored in that field. In addition to his singing talents, Ray is a composer, and writes most of his own songs, working them out on his guitar. When it came time for him to select the songs for this collection, he chose those that seemed to him most likely to fit together in a balanced program, and happily it included some of his biggest hits.

Ray was born on a farm near Perryville, Texas, in 1926. From the very beginning, he showed his musical talents, and sang his way through grade school and high school, entertaining at class programs and local affairs. When he entered North Texas Agricultural College, where he studied to become a veterinarian, he continued his singing as a member of the college glee club. As he went along, it became more and more apparent that his real calling lay with music, and at last he decided to become a professional singer. From the outset, he was successful, and within a very few months was a major star in his chosen field. During the war, he served in the South Pacific with the Marine Corps, and is still an expert rifleman. In addition, he has participated in rodeo contests, and is skilled at bronco busting and quarter horse training.

But the songs Ray Price sings here have little to do with such rugged activities – these are softly sentimental tunes, the kind his fans like best and the kind Ray himself likes to sing best. His pleasure in his singing is apparent in the delightful performances he brings to these songs, making them even more pleasurable for his admirers. Heart songs they most assuredly are, both for the heart that their lyrics and melodies convey, and for the heart that Ray Price brings to them in his singing.

I Love  You Because
Let Me Talk To You
Blues, Stay Away From Me
Many Tears Ago
Letters Have No Arms
Faded Lov
Remember Me

I Saw My Castles Fall Today
I'll Sail My Ship Alone
I Can't Help It
A Mansion On The Hill
Pins And Needles

Tango Argentino - Atilio Stampone

 

El Por La Vuelta

Tango Argentino
Atilio Stampone and His Orchesta con Banoneon del Tango
Photography: Bob Witt
Audio Fidelity AFLP 1880
1958

From the back cover: ATILIO STAMPONE, despite his youth, has a long record of professional credits and musical achievements that would make a seasoned veteran proud. As a triple-threat musician, boasting mastery of the piano, rare skill as a conductor and a vast knowledge of Latin music, he has covered considerable ground. This includes appearances as solo pianist in Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria, and performances throughout Europe and Latin America as conductor of his own orchestra. He is an authority on the tango, and has won a wide reputation in his native Argentina with his own arrangements in this dance form. His musical education was acquired in Europe and in his own country with many outstanding authorities. One of his most recent achievements was arranging to broadcast-despite contracts that are usually supposed to tie an artist down on an exclusive basis-over two top Argentinian radio networks.

Also from the back cover: Life is a glorious adventure in Argentina, where Irishmen speak Castilian, where man's best friend is his horse, and where the earth enriches beyond one's most extravagant dreams. Indeed, there is an old saying often cited by other Latin Americans that one sure way to become rich is to buy an Argentinian for what he is really worth, and then sell him for what he thinks he's worth. Argentinians allege their country to be the greatest in the world, their frontier mountains to be the highest, their pampas to be the widest, their lakes the most beautiful, the cattle the finest, the vineyards the most fertile, the women the most lovely and the men the bravest. Not disputing any of the foregoing, the Argentinians also have the most enchanting tangos. Argentinians are lovers of music-both classical and popular. Many of the country's musical compositions and dances, in addition to having considerable abstract appeal, have special meaning or actual stories connected with them. Popular music reflects the national character, and the tango is the one piece for which Argentina is best known. One Argentinian has said that the tango does not reflect real life there, but rather, life tries to reflect the tango.The Argentinian tango was first heard towards the end of the nineteenth century in a form vastly different from that of today. Some authorities hold that it was at first a hybrid mix- ture of the Andalusian tango, the Cuban habanera and the Argentinian milonga. Others claim that its origins are African, Brazilian and Italian.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, no one dared to play a tango in an Argentinian ballroom because it was considered a shameful inheritance from the gaucho, who was very much disliked by high society in the large cities. But when families that suddenly acquired wealth went abroad to enjoy their money, their sons introduced the tango to the French, and it became at once popular. Women found it exciting. And after it became the rage of Paris, the dance underwent some refinement, with the result that it was considered perfectly proper for any young Argentinian lady to dance it in public. The tango was then "re-imported" from Europe, immediately replaced the waltz, polka and other old fashioned dances and became no less the rage in Argentina than it had been in Paris. Today the tango is a part of Argentinian life, and is regarded by experts as both distinct and completely a form of importance. In Argentina new tangos make their appearance all the time, while old ones are played perennially.

Citizens of Buenos Aires-clerks, shopkeepers, waiters, sales- men and factory workers-never seem to get tired enough to go home early even after a full day's work. They generally go to a motion picture show, the theater or a concert, and then jam the cafes and night clubs. They love nothing more than to step into a cafe, summon the waiter and sit endlessly sipping their favorite drink and listening to and/or dancing the tango. Two sounds are ubiquitous in Buenos Aires-the smack of the bidou cup as it rolls out the dice, and the strains of tango after tango echoing into the early morning hours.

With newspapers, radios, television sets and movies still a novelty in rural areas, the Argentinian must provide his own entertainment. And so he spends his leisure time in typical Spanish fashion-either in the cafes or boliches (taverns). As Argentinians become imbued more and more with a feeling for their own nationalism, the influence of both Spain and France is less apparent in every facet of their life. The tango has played an important role in bringing this to pass.

This recording, made in Buenos Aires, is unusual in that it has an authenticity which is immediately and ever apparent. The artists who take part in the recording are experts not only on the tango, but on Latin American music in general. Their musical abilities, coupled with expert sound engineering utilizing special microphone placement, painstaking analysis and application of high fidelity techniques, result in the kind of performance that sounds like a personal visit to the Argentinian capital. The many subtleties of meaning in the emotional and narrative contents of each selection are captured through the use of the finest recording equipment obtainable. The same may be said of the tonal nuances, which are immeasurably more effective as a result of the application of guaranteed total frequency range recording methods.

LA RAYUELA (Julio de Caro) - A description of the child's game, hopscotch. The composer intended this to be a symbol of liberty because as a child he was prevented by parental discipline and by musical studies from playing hopscotch with other children.
EL ARRANQUE (The Start-Julio de Caro) - This was inspired by a little broken down automobile the composer drove when starting on a holiday trip. When the car refused to budge, he had to spend an entire night alongside it on the open road. Like other tangos, it helps recall happenings that are unimportant to most people.
EL ONCE (The Man From Once-Osvaldo y Emilio Fresedo) - Once is a historical and traditional district of Buenos Aires, very much like a small town. The composer pays tribute to the district and to a famous tango composer, Enric que Santos Discepolo, who was born there.
EL IRRESISTIBLE (Logatti) - This tango might connote the conquering male who is irresistible to the ladies.
CABULERO (Superstitious Gambler-Leopoldo Federico) - This is dedicated to the gambler who gambles with his own special system, not taking rash chances and ever trying to triumph with good fortune.
SI NO ME ENGANA EL CORAZON (If My Heart Does Not Deceive Me-Mishe y Carlos Bahr) - The hero awaits the arrival of his love in a song of hope and happiness.
POR LA VUELTA (For the Returning – Jose Tinelli and Enrique Cadicamo) - Everything is as it was a year ago when the lovers separated. It is raining outside, and it seems as if it were the same rain as that afternoon they said good bye. Reminded of the old love, they raise their glasses and drink to the reunion.
ADIOS CORAZON (Goodbye My Heart-Echegoncelay and Zapelli) - This tango, by Uruguayan composers, refers to the lover who speaks to the girl of his dreams in the street and tells of his love. The man apparently has won the lady, and leaves a suspicion of what is to come as they say goodbye, leaving future developments to the listener's imagination.
SENSIBLERO (Sensible One-Julian Plaza) - A highly tender, lyrical and inspired composition attempting to portray a very lovable person, one highly romantic and easily touched.
NOSTALGIAS (Nostalgia-Juan Carlos Cobian and Enrique Cadicamo) - The man drinks to forget his love and tries to find forgetfulness in other women, but finds it impossible. Everything reminds him of his beloved, and he comforts himself that the woman has been the last love of a declining youth. SALIMOS A BAILAR (Shall We Dance-Pomatti and Leopoldo Diaz Velez) - He follows her hopefully. He loves her, and the only chance he has to talk to her is while they dance. Hence the title. He praises her lavishly as they dance, and his dreams come true as the woman returns his love.
REFLEXIONEMOS (Lets Think It Over-Pablo Marin) - The hero calls his love back and begs her to reconsider her decision to separate. He asks her to return to him as he feels that so much love cannot go unrequited.

 

Eleanor Rigby

Memphis Underground
Living Jazz Play Today's Hits
Arranged and Conducted by Phil Bodner
Produced by Ethel Gabriel
Recorded in RCA's Studio C, New York City
Recording Engineer: Don Miller
Camden / RCA Records STEREO CAS-2394
1970

Memphis Underground
If Love Is Good To Me
The Dock Of The Bay
Watch What Happens

I'm Walkin' To Memphis

Eleanor Rigby
Ballad Of Easy Rider
I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City
Double Dare

It's Bliss! - Jack Jackson

 

The Best In Popular Music

It's Bliss!

The Best In Popular Music
Jack Jackson and His English Orchestra
Cover Photo: Richard Hudnut
Rondo-lette  SA64
1959

Jalousie
Night And Day
Chinese Polka
Star Dust
You And The Night And The Music
Street Scene
Solitude
Island Bolero

Silent Running - Peter Schickele

 

Saturn

Silent Running
Composed and Conducted by Peter Schickele
Featuring Rejoice In The Sun, Silent Running sung by Joan Baez 
Album Produced by Peter Schickele
Executive Producer: Gil Rodin
This issue prepared for release by Tom Null, Dub Taylor and Chris Kuchler
MCA Tape Engineer: Larry Boden
Mastered by Dub Taylor at KM Records, Burbank, Calif.
Lito-Director: Mike Malan
Varese Sarabande (previously released as Decca DL 7-9188)
1978

Rejoice In The Sun (Sung by Joan Baez)
The Space Fleet
Rejoice In The Sun
No Turning Back
Driving Carzy
Drifting
Silent Running (Sung by Joan Baez)
The Dying Forest
Tending To Huey
Saturn
Getting Ready
Rejoice In The Sun (Reprise sung by Joan Baez)

New York Woodwind Quintet - Nielsen & Villa Lobos

 

New York Woodwind Quintet

New York Woodwind Quintet
Nielsen Quintet, Op 43
Villa-Lobos Quintette & Duette
Connoisseur Series
Concert-Disc CS-254
1965

From the back cover: The woodwind quintet, as an instrumental body, presents some unique musical possibilities, as far as sonority is concerned. Paul Revitt has spoken about this uniqueness in the following way: "One basic difference between string quartet writing and woodwind ensemble writing is that, in wind ensemble writing, there has never been a predominantly enforced delineation in registers. Because the normal operating ranges of the flute, oboe and clarinet overlap to an astonishing extent, the parts are interchangeable, and because they are diverse in tonal color, lend themselves graciously to deliberately designed effects in sonority. Just as the success of a string quartet depends on blend and unity, so the wind ensemble is judged by variety and contrast; the composer of the string quartet is limited to one sound and the composer of the woodwind ensemble has several at his command"Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) was Denmark's most famous composer. Although he is known mostly for his symphonic works, there is a wealth of chamber music, including four string quartets, two piano sonatas, and this QUINTET. The QUINTET is in three movements, and the sonorous textures seem more designed towards the blend of the string quartet than towards the contrast of the woodwind ensemble.

The first movement is in the ABA design, the development (B) section primarily developing the motifs of the exposition imitatively. The recapitulation begins with the main theme in the flute and oboe, rather than in the bassoon, as in the exposition. There is further development in the recapitulation, and greater use is made of the second theme than in the exposition. The Coda begins with the bassoon bringing back the main theme, reminiscent of the beginning of the piece.

The second movement is a Menuet, with a Mahler-like theme. The first section utilizes the clarinet and bassoon predominantly, while the second emphasizes the flute and oboe, then the whole ensemble. There is the usual Trio, repeated Menuet, and Coda.

The third movement begins with a recitative style Prelude, with solo passages from the flute, English horn (which substitutes for the oboe until the second Variation), horn, and clarinet. There is then a Chorale, which becomes the main theme for a set of eleven Variations. The Variations are clearly articulated, and retain the structural outlines of the Theme. All the instruments are featured one time or another during the Variations, either soloistically or in duets. The movement closes with the recapitulation of the Chorale.

Hietor Villa-Lobos was born in 1887, in Brazil, and became that country's first Nationalistic composer. He was a participant in the Movement of Modern Art, in Brazil, a movement which introduced modernism in all the arts into Brazil. His total output as a composer was immense - over 2000 works! - and he is best known for his BACHIANAS BRASILEIRAS and many CHOROS'. It is interesting to note that his approach to woodwind ensemble in his QUINTETTE is fundamentally different than Nielsen's; namely, he is more concerned with the aspects of contrast, thereby using more extreme registers in his instruments, and in virtuosity in solo writing.

The QUINTETTE is in one movement, written in a kind of form which is based on the gradual emergence of motifs, rather than the traditional methods of repetition and variations. Solo sections are interspersed with accompanied melodies, and the dance rhythm, first heard at the very beginning of the piece in a kind of primordal state, reaches full bloom at the end of the piece, when it is finally coupled with the folk tune which has permeated the com- position.

Villa-Lobos' two great musicological passions where Bach and the collecting of Brazilian folk music. These become evident, even more strongly than in the QUINTETTE, in the two DUETTES. They are cast in very simple designs - the flute accompanies the bassoon, and vice-versa... even more simply, the principle of alter- nation reigns supreme.

The first DUETTE is in two sections, the flute accompanying the bassoon melody, a folk-like tune, with motifs treated sequentially as one would expect in a work by Bach; these roles are re- versed, and the procedure is repeated, in an abbreviated form.

The second DUETTE is more rhythmic than the first, with greater emphasis also placed on the virtuosity of the two instruments. However, the principle of alternation is still the main structural device, and the work closes on a cadential Coda, which gathers the momentum of the movement into a final resolution. – Edward Applebaum

The New York Woodwind Quintet is one of the nation's most solidly established chamber music attractions. Wherever this ensemble appears it has the happy knack of evoking enthusiastic acclaim. Whether playing for chamber music auspices, college and university audiences, or com- munity series on their cross-country travels, the five uniquely matched artists create the impression of beauty and variety within the frame- work of their superb ensemble.

With three lengthy international tours to its credit (two of them under A.N.T.A. sponsorship) the New York Woodwind Quintet is con- stantly adding to its stature as one of the main showcases for American chamber music.

An impressive list of high-fidelity recordings on Everest as well as Concert Disc has brought the work of the New York Woodwind Quintet to the attention of record lovers.

About The Artists

DAVID GLAZER, clarinet, is known as a "specialist" in chamber music. His participation in the Casals Festival in Prades in 1953 brought him wide recognition as a recitalist. He has appeared as a guest artist with leading string quartets and trios and as a soloist with major symphony orchestras.

SAMUEL BARON, flute, is a featured performer with the New York Chamber Soloists and the Galliard players, in addition to his work with the New York Woodwind Quintet. He is considered one of the foremost American flutists today.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS... RONALD ROSEMAN, oboe, is a composer as well as a performer, and his works have been presented both here and abroad. He has played with the Symphony of the Air, the Little Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. Besides his work with the New York Woodwind Quintet, Mr. Roseman is a member of the New York Pro Musica.

RALPH FROELICH, horn, is the newest member of the Quintet. His studies at Juilliard were interrupted by a period of army service abroad, but upon his return to New York he joined the New Art Wind Quintet. He also became first horn of the Little Orchestra Society and the Symphony of the Air.

ARTHUR WEISBERG, bassoon, has been a solo player with the Cleveland, Houston and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras and has gained acclaim for his conducting as well. He is permanent conductor and musical director of the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble and is also on the faculty of Juilliard School of Music.

Opus Number One - Francis Bay

 

Opus Number One

Opus Number One
Tommy Dorsey and Sy Oliver Favorites
Played by Francis Bay and His Orchestra
Cover Design: Mike Johnson
Cover Photo: George Jerman / Photography 2
Omega Records OSL-16

From the back cover: FRANCIS BAY has been quietly perfecting his orchestra for more than five years. They play every week on programs of the Brussels Radio and during the past year they have burst forth throughout Europe as THE most talked about orchestra. Any jukebox in Belgium, France, or England is likely to include two or three records by the Bay Orchestra. His recording of "Eso Es El Amor" is the biggest hit of many latin-styled best sellers during the past few years. The Bay Orchestra recently won the highly coveted "Golden Gondol" trophy in a battle of the bands from all over the world held in Venice. The precision section work and fluid jazz improvisation of the soloists are a product of years of rehearsal and development shared by the same group of musicians with very few replacements in the ranks of the musicians. The result is an orchestra in which the musical rapport between musicians is amazing. All of the members of the Bay Orchestra have invested the greatest care in making a danceable, jazz-flavored, fresh group of recordings, but the driving force that makes the Bay Orchestra function as a musical unit is Francis Bay himself. He already has large following of fans in Europe who know him affectionately as "Francis." Recently his fame has spread to Japan, Mexico, and Canada as well as the United States. People everywhere who have come to appreciate good music are enthusiastic in their praise of Francis Bay because of his most distinctive contribution to popular music... perfection.

Also from the back cover: The shock of Tommy Dorsey's death in November, 1957, is just beginning to wear off and only now are we beginning to look back at his work to measure his achievement. Examining the various Dorsey bands over a 20-year period as it jumped in and out of the public spotlight, gives us a proper perspective of TD for the first time, and only with a backward glance can we begin to understand what his music meant to us.

After threading back through the years in your mind's ear, through the hundreds and hundreds of Dorsey recordings, one vital thing presents itself... and that is that TD's band has an enduring quality.

For some music lovers who may be more jazz-oriented, the early Tommy Dorsey recordings might seem most memorable. Primarily, the early sides were two-beat with a distinct Dixie flavor. They hark back to Tommy's beginnings as a Chicago jazzman and are mindful of Max Kaminsky and Miff Mole and other greats of that era. But in the main, most of us think of TD as the band of the early 40's... the band that had left its Dixieland heritage behind and became a sleek, swinging band in the Jimmie Lunceford tradition. That was the band of the powerhouse jazz, of the screeching brass and driving rhythm. It was the band that played "swing"...a kind of musical corollary to jazz that was good to dance to and good to listen to.

It is this part of the Dorsey band library that Omega has selected to record in thrilling stereo as a musical tribute to TD's memory. Recorded by the Bay Big Band at the Brussels World's Fair as an international salute to American music, the group has captured all of the full-throated, wonderfully rhythmic, musical distinction of the Dorsey band sound. Originally, when these sides were made by Tommy Dorsey, they were recorded when the dance orchestra was looked upon as an organization that reflected top musicianship... a group capable of great flexibility, from playing excellent jazz to swinging a ballad. As they are recorded today, something more is added by the Bay Big Band. These arrangements take on a new flavor with more contemporary solo techniques and advanced ideas about harmony. The pep and vigor of the Dorsey band is still there, but it is brought up to date by providing a free range for the soloists and blendings of brass that ring more modern than the actual ensemble sound of 15 or 20 years ago.

Opus Number One
Daybreak
Love For Sale
This Love Of Mine
Hawaiian War-Chant
No So Quiet Please
There Are Such Things
Well Git It
I'll Never Smile Again
Yes Indeed

Boogie-Woogie - Will Bradley with Ray McKinley

 

Boogie Woogie Congo

Boogie-Woogie
Will Bradley with Ray McKinley
Epic LN 3115
A Product of CBS
1955

From the back cover: When boogie woogie left the piano to become an orchestral form, it was Will Bradley who made it as popular as it is today. The selections in this collection, as famous for their weird titles and odd vocals as for instrumental work, represent the best of his work. They feature one of the finest drummers in the business, Ray McKinley, and the trombone playing of Bradley himself. There is also the piano work of Freddie Slack, considered the best boogie player among white musicians. This, in short, is a hand-picked collection of some of the greatest boogie woogie in recording history, one that can hold its own in any musical library.

Will Bradley was born in Newton, New Jersey, and learned the complexities of the trombone at an early age. After a brief career in a vaudeville unit, he joined a jazz band known as Hilt Shaw's Detroiters. Several months later he left them and went into radio with a vengeance, playing for such conductors as Andre Kostelanetz, among others. Soon thereafter Will Bradley decided that the time had come to form his own band, and six months from the time he set out, he crashed into the musical big-time with that unforgettable best-seller, Beat Me Daddy (Eight to the Bar). That, and other numbers in this collection, made Will Bradley a national favorite, and here are the original settings and recordings of those masterpieces, some of the best music to come out of the boogie form.

Beat Me Daddy To The Bar
Down The Road A Piece
Celery Stalks At Midnight
Flyin' Home
Boogie Woman Conga
Strange Cargo
Scrub Me, Mama With A Boogie Beat
Basin Street Boogie
Chicke Gumboog (ie)
Rock-a-bye The Boogie
Rhumboogie