Enchanted Tangos - Bella Sanders

 

Jealousy

Enchanted Tangos
Bela Sanders and His Orchestra
Telefunken LGX 66045
Made in England
1956

From the back cover: New ballroom dances always seem to provoke violent reactions. Even the graceful, elegant waltz was once denounced as being "wicked and immoral." But perhaps the biggest wave of indignation was caused by a gay, exotic dance-step from the Argentine.

The United States got their first glimpse of the tango when the "Revue of 1911" was produced in New York; that same year saw the South of France go tango-crazy; in 1912 George Grossmith danced the tango with Phyllis Dare in "The Sunshine Girl" at London's Gaiety Theatre.

During the early months of 1914 the new dance was condemned by both the German Kaiser and the King of Italy. A lecturer at a conference held in Atlanta, Georgia, declared that the tango was a reversion to the ape and a confirmation of Darwin's theory.

A medical point of view came from a New York doctor. In April, 1914 he announced that a new disease could be added to such occupational ailments as housemaid's knee and miner's elbow. "Tango foot' was the name he gave it. About the same time a reader of the 'New York Times' sent a letter to its editor: "About Christmas time in 1913," he wrote, "I decided to abandon doctors and began to learn the Tango.. Within two weeks practically all symptoms of indigestion left me."

"Tango Teas' became more and more popular. Fashionable society was stepping gayly to the intoxicating habanera rhythm. It was not long before the entire dancing public had taken the tango to its heart. Soon the tango had become an established favourite in ballrooms all over the world.

The origins of the tango go back a long way. How the rural peace of seventeenth century England joined with the dark forests and sunbaked hills of equatorial Africa to create this most cosmopolitan of dances makes a fascinating story.

An English country dance, popular in the days of Cromwell and the Stuart kings, crossed the Channel into France, where it became the contredanse. Another fifty years and it had penetrated the Pyrenees, the Spanish calling it the contradanza.

The Conquistadors took the dance to Cuba, its name changing to the Danza Habanera, or 'Dance of Havana'. Reintroduced into Spain halfway through the 19th century, it became popular as the Habanera.

Most famous of habaneras is El Areglito, written by a Spaniard, Sebastian Yradier, who published it in Madrid in 1840. There it was heard by the composer Bizet, who borrowed it to use in his opera Carmen.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, slave-traders made huge profits out of shipping Negroes from the West Coast of Africa to the new colonies in the Americas. These Negroes took with them their own cultural traditions, notably those of music and the dance. Vicente Rossi, in his book 'Coasas de Negros', has suggested that a Negro onomatope for drum-beat (tan-gó) gave a name to the dance which later emerged among the migrants in cities at the mouth of the Rio Plata. Certainly a dance called the tangano was popu- lar among Negroes in the West Indies and Haiti during the 18th century.

The tango first seems to have been danced in the cafés and dance-halls of the "Barrio de las Ranas' – a district lying close to the docks of Buenos Aires. An earlier dance, the habanera del café, at its height during the Spanish-American war, provides a link be- tween the Cuban Habanera and the Argentine Tango. The milonga, another Argentine dance, was also absorbed into the tango around 1900; the quicker variety of tango is in fact an adaptation of the milonga.

The swaying rhythm of the habanera is shared by both the Argentine and Spanish tangos, although as dances they have nothing in common. The Spanish tango is a spirited solo dance for a woman, nearer the gipsy flamenco tradition than that of the Spaniards.

In Buenos Aires, Montevideo and other great cities of the Argentine and Uruguay, the tango was being danced at the beginning of this century. Dark-haired girls in wide skirts, vividly beautiful, moved to its exotic rhythms, partnered by men dressed as gauchos, wearing spurs on their high riding-boots.

Such a powerful, exciting dance could not long be contained within the land which gave it birth. Soon the whole world went tango-mad. There have been plenty of modern dance-crazes-the Turkey Trot, the Charleston, the Bunny-Hug, the Big Apple-but most now exist only as a page in ballroom history. The vitality of the tango made it more than a nine-days wonder. Today its graceful movements and buoyant, captivating rhythms are as popular as they have ever been.

Enchantment is what both dancers and listeners experience as they respond to the magic spell of the tango. In this selection of your favourite tangos, Bela Sanders and his orchestra bring you this fascin- ating dance-music at its gayest and most colourful.

Donato's well-known A media luz makes a stirring beginning, pizzicato strings alternating with gentle woodwinds, while underneath surges the dark rhythm of the habanera.

Tango espagnole conjures up a vision of lovers dancing in moonlight under the white walls of a legendary Spanish city, castanets purring above the low song of the cicada.

Drum-beats usher in Malando's ever-popular Olé Guapa. An intricate flourish of violins, a subtle rhythmic balance between the strings, the jaunty voice of the accordion-all these make up a vivid, unique performance.

Orchestral richness is the outstanding quality in Bela Sanders' interpretation of Filiberto's sensual tango, Caminito. Once again violins swirl in an exciting crescendo as the orchestra plays La Palomita.

Tango reni, brisk and lively, has muted trumpets answered by soaring strings, in contrast to the tran- quillity of Luna Rossa, where flute and woodwinds evoke the dreamy Mediterranean scene.

Few melodies are better loved than the familiar Hear my song, Violetta. Violins hold sustained chords in a dynamic orchestration of this tender, romantic tune.

Soulful yet dramatic, there is a hint of wistful mel- ancholy as accordions play the moving theme of Plegaria. In Donne vatra the strings are finely balanced, unusual voicing and contrasts heightening their purity of tone and phrasing. Violins pursue the haunt- ing melody of Poesie, cellos providing a rich counterpoint.

Few tangos are better-known than Gade's poignant Jalousie. A warm yet sparkling performance by Bela Sanders' orchestra makes a fitting climax to his se- lection of 'Enchanted Tangos'. – CHARLES FOX

A Media Luz
Tango Espagnole
Ole Gupa

Caminito
La Palomita
Tango Reni
Luna Rossa
Hear My Song, Violetta
Plegaria
Donna Vatra
Poesie
Jealousy

Harold Betters Takes Off

 

Just For A Thrill

Harold Betters Takes Off
Photo: JohnWhited
Cover Design: Ken Moore
Gateway Records, Inc. GLP 7004
1963

From the back cover: This album opens with a driving number, You Can't Sit Down, that creates a lot of emotion and should make feel like clapping your hands, patting your feet or snapping your fingers. I think the song was properly named as it makes me feel, when I play it, that I, "Can't Sit Down.

Now And Forever is a change of pace – a well constructed tune with a flowing melody line – one that gives even the most inexperienced listener the feeling he knows what's coming next.

In Other Words is a favorite of mine. The melody and lyrics are so beautiful that I had to sing it as well as play it. For a second vocal I picked, Work Song. This turn depicts work on a chain gang.

Baby Cake creates a lot of drive and excitement – I wrote it for the "Twisters." Another tune for fast dancing is Last Night.

Just For A Thrill speaks for itself – its another of my favor- ites. I am partial to ballads. You can hear air projecting through the horn which is sometimes called an airy or "cool" sound. While I am on the subject of my favorite numbers I might point out, With The Wind And Rain In Your Hair. This tune gives me an opportunity to show the brilliant sound of the trombone in the higher register.

After Supper is very beautifully done by John Huges. He tries to create the feeling of listening to jazz as you would in the 40's. The setting is a club filled with smoke, the smell of booze and the customers that want to sit back and relax after a hard days work.

A favorite of small jazz groups is the Preacher. It has a simple melody line that moves along smoothly. Although my group is small we try to get the effect of a large band with David Rose's composition "Our Waltz. I play the first part only as a waltz and then go into six-eight time. I want to create the feeling, with this piece of music, of two armies approaching each other for battle. the fight and then the ruins.

I would like to sum up what I have written about the tunes on this album by saying: I felt every number I played. I believe every artist should – only that way can he give his best. I am very thankful to Gateway for giving me complete freedom in choosing my numbers and executing them the way I felt they should be played. Making this album was lots of kicks. – Harold J. Betters

"a jazz that is creative and yet can be understood by every- one"-those were my closing words in the notes of Harold Betters' first album, Harold Betters At The Encore. Judging from the wide acceptance of the album, a great many people must agree with me.

The success of an artist, in any field, is based on sincerity, creativity, and skill. Harold Betters has all these in abundance.

Harold is sincere about his work and what is more important about his emotions. With this quality he is able to reach out to his audience and make them apart of his music.

Harold Betters is creative! He makes his chosen form of expression interesting to the listener-thereby capturing and holding their interest. While being sincere and creative he has mastered the art of his instrument to its fullest. His skill with the trombone is hard to match.

With the qualities I have mentioned it is easy to see why Harold has enjoyed the success he has as a performer and musician. I can predict a very long and fruitful career for Harold Betters. – Robert W. Schachner (April 15, 1963) Gateway Recordings, Inc.

You Can't Sit Down
Now And Forever
In Other Words
Baby Cake
The Preacher
Our Waltz
Last Night
After Supper

The Work Song
With The Wind And The Rain In Your Hair
Just For A Thrill

Music From Peter Gunn - Arron Bell

 

Music From Peter Gunn

Music From The Television Show Peter Gunn
Composed by Henry Mancini
Arron Bell and His Orchestra
Featuring Arron Bell on bass
Produced by Eddie Heller
Lion L70112
1959

From the back cover: For a good two years up until the fall of 1958, you had to rely on six-shooters and stallions almost exclusively if you wanted action on your television set. Westerns dominated the networks and the ratings. Then, like a refreshing breeze, along came a great new detective series – an adult one, too: "PETER GUNN". Gunn (played by Craig Stevens) can handle a gun, but it's mainly his brain that's for hire to people in trouble. He's a new kind of private investigator – urbane, cultured, a bit cynical, with a touch of the "beat generation" about him. Sometimes, he seems almost to wander into a case out of curiosity or just plain boredom. But, there's nothing boring about his cases and the characters that come his way. Many of the latter are colorful denizens of a nightclub run by a lady known as Mother (Hope Emerson), where entertainment is served up by Gunn's singer-girl friend Edie (Lola Albright). Gunn's adventures are neatly varied in plot, usually spiced entertainingly with sharp humor even when the action is running high. Like we said, the series is "adult" in concept and execution—and its record-shattering climb in the popularity ratings shows that the formula is tasty to millions of video viewers.One of the outstanding features of "PETER GUNN" is its music-pulsating, compelling, spell-binding jazz that fuses with the action in brilliant fashion. When the first show in the series was telecast, NBC- TV was flooded with inquiries about the source of this music. Within a few weeks, the name of its composer, Henry Mancini, was a familiar one to TV fans. Mancini, in his work had come up with an exciting television "first": the first modern jazz back- grounds for the sound track of a filmed TV series. Top-drawer jazz, too-as attested to by the acceptance of even the most jaded of jazz experts.

Mancini, Cleveland-born and 34 years old, is no new-comer to background scoring. He has dozens of movies to his credit, including "The Glenn Miller Story", for which he received an Academy Award nomination. His educational background in music is very impressive, including study at Carnegie Tech Music School and the Juilliard School of Music, work with com- posers Ernst Krenek and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. After three years in the Infantry during the war, his career got into full swing. Soon, he found himself with something like a waiting list of clients set to tap his talents: record companies, the movies, radio shows. And, he became a specialist in penning the backings for night club acts, working with such stars as Betty Hutton, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Gloria DeHaven, Marilyn Maxwell, Bob Crosby, Kathryn Grayson, Jane Powell, Dinah Shore, Toni Arden, Kitty Kallen, Polly Bergen, Billy Eckstine and Edie Adams. "PETER GUNN" represents Mancini's first work for a TV series.

The present album offers ten dramatic themes from the music for "PETER GUNN", including the hit "Dreamsville". Here, the popular jazz specialist Aaron Bell And his orchestra use them as departure points for some of the most listenable music-making you'll hear in many a moon!

ABOUT AARON BELL The "most" on a bass, Aaron is known in the jazz field as a dedicated perfectionist. His playing and arranging have always been characterized by good taste and its quality of being able to reach everybody. A veteran of such top American combos as those of Teddy Wilson, Andy Kirk, and Lester Young, he recently appeared at The Embers and The Left Bank in New York City, drawing ratings by fans and musicians as one of the top bass men around today. He also appeared on Broadway in the stage version of "Compulsion". The musicians Aaron chose to appear with him in this album were chosen for their flexibility and inventiveness and are considered to be among America's top musicians.

Dreamsville
Peter Gunn
Fallout!
A Profound Gass
The Brothers Go To Mother's
Session At Pete's Pad
The Floater
Brief And Breezy
Sorta Blue
Soft Sounds

McCann / Wilson - Les McCann & Gerald Wilson

 

Kathleen's Theme 

McCann / Wilson
Les McCann & The Gerald Wilson Orchestra
Producer: Richard Bock
Cover Art: Thomas Knitch (courtesy The McKenzie Gallery)
Album Design & Photography: by Woody Woodward
Audio by Richard Bock
Pacific Jazz PJ-91

A Product of Liberty Records
1964

Piano - Les McCann
Bass - Victor Gaskin
Drums - Paul Humphrey

The Gerald Wilson Orchestra featuring
Guitar - Dennis Budimir
Tenor - Teddy Edwards

From the back cover: This collaboration between LES MCCANN and GERALD WILSON is a natural one and I think this album represents a highlight in Les' recording career. Les' playing here, as always, is positive and extroverted and is showcased wonderfully against the backdrop of Gerald's exciting band. 

It occurred to me one night, several months ago, while I was watching Gerald Wilson and his orchestra during one of their engagements at The Lighthouse, that if Gerald had chosen the media of motion pictures to express himself rather than music, he would surely have become a great director in the tradition of Kramer, Preminger, or Stevens.

It should be known that I made this seemingly disjointed evaluation of Gerald during my seventh Cutty Sark at The Lighthouse. Often when I make such statements in this frame of mind they don't make a great deal of sense to me the following morning but the comparison between Gerald Wilson and great motion picture directors still seems valid to me.

A director must do many things well. The director assembles the cast, brings his ideas to a script that has been selected, and uses his artistic judgments with the script and the actors to best achieve the results he wants. When the product is ready for the public it has been the director who is most responsible for its success or failure.

Similarly, Gerald does all things well. He is a craftsman in every way. He hand-picks the musicians carefully (a glimpse at the personnel listing on this record will assure you that Gerald hasn't settled for second best), he selects the material (most of which he composes and arranges), and then he bolsters the band and the audience with his own enthusiasm and exuberance. Gerald is a total musician. He touches all bases, and like a good director he is the man in charge.

Although Gerald.has paid his dues for many years, his reputation has become more widely known in the past few years. He played in the trumpet section of the great bands of Lunceford, Basie, Ellington, and Gillespie, arranged and composed, for all these bands, and led his own successful big band in the 40's, but even with his great success he left it all behind to continue studying music. His self-imposed exile was ended when he formed a big band that was recorded by Pacific Jazz and released in 1961. ("YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT" PJ-34). Many were able to hear this exciting, fresh band for the first time.

Gerald's success has spread almost entirely word of mouth. Because of the economics of traveling across the country with a big band, Gerald's dates

have been almost entirely restricted to California. Yet the news of Gerald's music spread rapidly after his first release and he soon became a best-selling artist in areas that had never seen him. Also Gerald has not had the television exposure that some of the older big bands have enjoyed, but a glance at the jazz polls shows him right at the top along with Basie, Elling- ton, and Herman (and with a sound that is the most modern of the big bands).

Watching Gerald's orchestra in performance is always a great pleasure for me because I'm watching a man who clearly enjoys what he's doing and loves his work. He seems to enjoy the musicians in his band as much as the audience and when one takes an excellent solo, Gerald sometimes leads the applause.

The one characteristic that Gerald has that makes him a rarity in jazz these days is his ability to communicate with an audience. It's this very characteristic that he has in common with the man he shared this record with.

The success of Les McCann began as almost an underground movement. Les enjoyed a small but devoted following in Southern California and when his debut album was released on Pacific Jazz ("THE TRUTH" PJ-2) the support was just as loyal but the cult grew in numbers. His first album was an imme- diate success and Les has built a record of success that is almost unequalled among jazz musicians today.

An aspect of Les McCann that has often been over- looked is his compositional abilities. Les is the composer of all but one of the selections in this album.

"Bailor The Wailer" is an especially exuberant composition and performance. Les dedicates this to Elgin Baylor of the Los Angeles Lakers (who might be described as a hard-bop basketball player). And there's the beautiful "Kathleen's Theme" (arranged and conducted by Jimmie Haskell). "Could Be" has a good Basie feeling to it.

The arrangements with the big band on this album are by Gerald Wilson based on ideas by Les McCann.

Les is another man who is well known for doing many things well. This album is a testimony to his writing ability and his playing. It also showcases his regular trio (Victor Gaskin on bass, Paul Humphrey on drums) one of the most successful groups in jazz and constantly in demand around the world.

Like the two personalities involved in this record, "MCCANN/WILSON" shouts with enthusiasm and exuberance. No hard sell is needed to convince you that you've made an excellent choice in picking up this album. The names LES MCCANN and GERALD WILSON speak for themselves. Listen. – LES CARTER-KBCA Radio, Los Angeles

Could Be
Stragler
Restin' In Jail
Bailor The Wailer
Maleah
Lot Of Living To Do
Kathleen's Theme
Gus Gus

Midnight Roses - Xavier Cugat

 

Manha De Carnival

Midnight Roses
The Quiet New Excitement Of Xavier Cugat
Arranged by Dick Jacobs
Produced by Harry Meyerson
Decca Records, A Division of MCA, Inc. DL 75046
1968

From the back cover: The name, Xavier Cugat, has been synonymous with the rhythms of Latin America for many years. From the very inception and acceptance of the conga, rhumba, samba, mambo, cha cha and meringue by American audiences, Xavier Cugat remained master of each craze that swept American popular music and kept Americans dancing through a seemingly endless cycle of appealing dance tempos from south of the border.

Recently, American popular music was successfully invaded by yet another musical import, the Bossa Nova. The lightness, the delicacy and the depth of feeling of the Bossa Nova has pervaded every form of musical expression with a subtle and naturally accented beat. It was predictable that the most popular Latin American band in the business would master this tempo, and MIDNIGHT ROSES is the delightful result. 

Properly subtitled "The Quiet New Excitement of Xavier Cugat," this latest album features a collection of great songs that lend themselves especially to the rhythms of the Bossa Nova; written by some equally great composers from both North and South America. Burt Bacharach and Hal David are represented with DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO SAN JOSE and THIS GUY'S IN LOVE WITH YOU; Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers with I HAVE DREAMED; Michel LeGrand's beautiful WATCH WHAT HAPPENS from "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg"; Antonio Carlos Jobim, considered by many to be the "Father" of the Bossa Nova, with TRISTE and WAVE; YOUNG AND WARM AND FREE from the motion picture "Elvira Madigan,' adapted from a Mozart concerto by Carl Sigman; Francis Lai's ALL AT ONCE from his beautiful score for "A Man and A Woman"; MISTY ROSES by the very talented Tim Hardin; ON A CLEAR DAY from the pen of Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane; and last but certainly not least, the unforgettable theme, MANHA DE CARNAVAL, by Luiz Bonfa, another of the pioneer innovators of the Bossa Nova from Latin America, featured in an unforgettable motion picture, "Black Orpheus."

If you haven't already been caught up in the swell of the Bossa Nova, we recommend you retire to your stereo with a copy of MIDNIGHT ROSES and let "The Quiet New Excitement of Xavier Cugat" cast its spell.

I Have Dreamed
Do You Know The Way To San Jose
Young And Wild And Free

   "Adapted from Mozart Concerto" (featured in "Elvira Madigan")
Watch What Happens
Triste
All At Once It's Love
Misty Roses
On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
This Guy's In Love With You
Wave
Manha De Carnival

Pop Concert In Manhattan - D'Artega

 

Pop Concert In Manhattan

Pop Concert In Manhattan
D'Artega and His Orchestra
Mercury Records MG 20060
1960

From the back cover: D'Artega (who chooses to drop his given names, Alfonso Armando Antonio Fernandez) has spent his musical life repeating a question to himself. Every time he hears a great classical work, he says silently, "That is beautiful. How can I bring that beauty to more people?"This unselfish challenge which he constantly places before himself accounts for D'Artega's emergence as one of the world's outstanding popularizers of classical music and composers of popular music of the fullness and flourish of the classics.

D'Artega was born in Spain and came to the United States as a youngster. For years he studied orchestration and composition under Boris Levenson, who had been a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakoff. Early in the days of radio, D'Artega was attracted to this new magic medium which could bring music into the homes of everyone. But he knew that the techniques of classical music, while glorious to the ears of an initiate, would be strange to millions of Americans who had never had the opportunity to develop a taste for classics. So he committed his art to the development of a style which would combine the best of the familiar, popular music, with the most attractive qualities of his first love, the classics.

That he succeeded in striking this extraordinary balance is evidenced by the outstanding parade of successes which unfolded in his career. D'Artega soon was in demand by the already giant networks to display his unusual combination of easy listening pleasure with artistic distinction. He conducted on the Jell-O Program, Your Hit Parade, Ripley's Be lieve-It-Or-Not Show, and the Cavalcade of Music. He became the director of "Pop" concerts for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Frequently he came to Carnegie Hall to conduct its famous Pop Concert Orchestra as a guest, until recently, when he was appointed its permanent conductor.

Never forgetting that the ears of most Americans were tuned to popular song, D'Artega composed for that medium, too, bringing to it his faultless taste and outstanding training. His song, "In The Blue Of The Evening", held a spot on the Hit Parade for 21 weeks. His works for symphony orchestra include "American Panorama", "Dream Concerto", "Niag ara" and the "Fire And Ice Ballet" of which parts 1 to 3 are heard on this Mercury Long Playing recording.

D'Artega portrayed the role of Peter Ilyich Tchai kovsky in the motion picture, "Carnegie Hall".

Featured in this generous concert of D'Artega and His Orchestra are his own "In The Blue Of The Evening", "Tally-Ho", "When Love Is New", "Dream- er's Serenade", "Concerto Pathetique", featuring the piano artistry of Rosa Linda, "Wedding Of The Violins", "Remembrance", "Tulips In Springtime", "Dagger Dance" and the three parts of "Fire And Ice Ballet".

In The Blue Of Evening

Tally-Ho
When Love Is New
Dreamer's Serenade
Concerto Pathetique
Wedding Of The Violins
Remembrance
Tulips In Springtime
Dragger Dance
Fire And Ice Ballet – Pt. 1
Fire And Ice Ballet – Pt. 2
Fire And Ice Ballet – Pt. 3

Music For Brass - Dimitri Mitropoulos & Gunther Schuller

 

Jazz Suite For Brass

The Jazz and Classical Music Society presents a program of
Music For Brass by Gunther Schuller, John Lewis, J. J. Johnson
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos and Gunther Schuller
Soloists: Miles Davis, J. J. Johnson, Joe Wilder
Cover: Don Hunstein / Peter Adler
Columbia Records CL 941
1957

ORCHESTRA PERSONNELS

Symphony for Brass and Percussion: Trumpets (first section): John Ware (solo), Ted Weiss, Joseph Alessi. Trumpets (second section): Mel Broiles, Carmine Fornarotto, Isidore Blank, Horns: Joseph Singer (solo), Roy Alonge, Arthur Sussman, Gunther Schuller. Trombones: Gordon Pulis (solo), Gil Cohen, John Clark. Baritones: John Swallow (solo), Ronald Ricketts. Tuba: Bill Barber. Timpani & percussion: Dick Horowitz.

Other works: Bernie Glow, Arthur Statter, and Joe Wilder replaced Weiss, Alessi, and Blank in the trumpet section. Jim Buffington replaced Schuller in the horn section. Urbie Green and J. J. Johnson replaced Pulis and Cohen in the trombone section. Horowitz does not play on the Johnson composition. Milt Hinton (bass) and Osie Johnson (drums) are added on the Johnson and Lewis works. The Miles Davis solos are played on fluegelhorn, except for his first solo in the Lewis composition, which is played on trumpet.

From the back cover: By George Avakian and Gunther Schuller – The Jazz and Classical Music Society is an organization started in 1955 by John Lewis and Gunther Schuller (it was then called the Modern Jazz Society) to present authoritative and exemplary concert performances of rarely heard music. The emphasis was placed on contemporary music, including that written by composers in the jazz field who would not otherwise have an opportunity for their lessconventional work to be presented under concert conditions.

The Society gave a concert at Town Hall in New York in 1955 and planned a second one in 1956, which was cancelled when an unexpected conflict developed with a performance by the New York Philharmonic-Symphony of the key work of the Society's program, Gunther Schuller's Symphony for Brass and Percussion. Work had already begun in recording some of the music to have been presented at that concert; so it was completed nonetheless, and this album is the finished result.

The aims of the Society were, and are, of a nature de- signed to bring together musicians in both the "classical" and jazz fields. Gunther Schuller exemplifies this intention in this recording, in that he appears as a composer whose work is conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos, a as a conductor of the works by the jazz musicians (whose compositions, however, are not jazz as such), and even as a performer in the Brass Ensemble.

The grave problem of preparing good performances of difficult music is only one of the reasons for forming the Society, but as musicians and composers both Lewis and Schuller felt that it was an extremely important one. For years they felt that the greatest obstacle to the appreciation of unfamiliar music is the number of poor performances. The cost of adequate rehearsals and the finding and assem- bling of capable, willing musicians (not to speak of the countless musical and stylistic problems involved) made first-rate performances of new music a great rarity. When they do occur, they are inevitably the result of considerable financial expense, selfless devotion to the music, an ability to resist the temptations of compromise, and needless to say the necessary musical qualifications of the interpreters. Therefore Lewis and Schuller decided that only a society of musicians (and their friends, whose support and contributions have been invaluable), devoted to such an ideal, could accomplish these goals under the present conditions of the concert field.

The Society's planning of its concerts to date has been. centered around various basic instrumentations. Thus in the first concert the emphasis was on woodwinds, supported by a harp and the Modern Jazz Quartet, a combination of instruments which resulted in a more or less subdued chamber music sound. In the second concert (which will now be given in the fall of 1957), the planning turned to a large brass ensemble, building the program around the Schuller Symphony. With this piece as the representative of contemporary "classical" music, two Gabrieli works to exemplify the earliest innovations in brass writing over 300 years ago, and with the jazz world represented by three of its most outstanding performer-composers, an unusually complete sampling of all aspects of brass writing and playing was programmed. All but the Gabrieli pieces can be heard on this recording.

Gunther Schuller's Symphony for Brass and Percussion was first performed (minus the last movement) in 1950, and presented in its entirety for the first time in the following year at an ISCM (International Society for Contemporary Music) concert, Leon Barzin conducting. It has also been used by Jose Limon as the foundation for one of his chore- ographies, "The Traitor."

In Gunther's own words, "The purpose in writing this work was primarily to write a symphony. Secondarily it provided me with an opportunity to make use of my experiences of sitting day in, day out in the midst of brass sections, and to show that the members of the brass family are not limited to the stereotypes of expression usually associated with them. Thus, there is more to the horn than its "heroic" or "noble" or "romantic" character, or to the trumpet than its usefulness in fanfares. Indeed these instruments are capable of the entire gamut of expression. Their full resources and the amazing advances made-especially in America-in the last 30-odd years have been left largely unexploited by most contemporary composers.

The concept of the symphony is of four contrasting movements, each representing one aspect of brass characteristics. Unity is maintained by a line of increasing inner intensity (not loudness) that reaches its peak in the last movement. The introductory first movement is followed by a scherzo with passages requiring great agility and technical dexterity. The third movement, scored almost entirely for six muted trumpets, brings about a further intensification of expression. The precipitous outburst at the beginning of the last movement introduces a kind of cadenza in which the first trumpet predominates. A timpani roll provides a bridge to the finale proper, which is a sort of Perpetuum mobile. Running through the entire movement are sixteenth note figures, passing from one instrument to another in an unending chain. Out of this chattering pattern emerges the climax of the movement, in which a chord consisting of all 12 notes of the chromatic scale is broken up in a sort of rhythmic atomization, each pitch being sounded on a different 16th of the measure."

As for a discussion of the other works, let's have Gunther, who conducted them, take over at this point. – G. A.

Just about the only common denominator among the three jazz scores is the instrumentation. In every other respect the three works are widely contrasting and represent three definite styles and personalities. Where J. J., the most eclectic (and the only brass-player) of the three, delights in extracting rich, full-bodied sonorities from the instruments, Giuffre in his score tends toward a leaner, more concentrated, almost completely contrapuntal concept of brass-writing; and John Lewis seems to me to stand somewhere between the two. Where J. J. uses the instruments with an intimate knowledge of their every subtle characteristic (and even with a certain degree of caution) which is directly attributable to his first-hand knowledge of brass instruments, Giuffre makes them more subservient to the musical material. Again John seems to combine the best of both concepts.

J. J. Johnson's Poem for Brass opens with a stately introduction, alternating the full brass with cymbal rolls which lead to the main body of the movement, an allegro. Mix- tures of muted and open brass predominate. Miles Davis soon enters, improvising over (and at times almost absorbed by) a constantly active background. J. J. then also solos, in his best unequivocal manner, using previously stated thematic material. A sudden slackening of the tempo leads to an interlude in which the four horns (led by Joe Singer) and the tuba indulge in some luscious parallel har- monies. The following section features Joe Wilder's sensuous trumpet in a balladlike strain.

Osie Johnson's cymbal sets the pace in the third movement, subtitled Meter and Metal. Various brass combinations, sparked by Bernie Glow's driving trumpet, alternate with cymbal breaks. Soon the line of continuity is broken; short chordal outbursts remain, isolated, as if left hanging in silence. Suddenly the six trumpets in unison announce the theme of the following free fugue which forms the main body of the movement. The tuba starts the fugal ball rolling, and as various groups of instruments enter, the web of sound thickens, and the impending climax becomes inevitable. At this point J. J. has ingeniously combined five con trapuntal lines which sound perfectly, both horizontally and vertically; i.e. they make sense both as melodic lines and as harmonic progressions. Milt Hinton's wonderful bass gives this section a special lift. This idea having run its course, four final declamations based on material from the first two movements bring the work to an exciting close. The golden-toned high C that John Ware came up with at half past three in the morning to end the session seemed to me at the time like the final strikeout in a pitcher's no-hit game.

John Lewis's Three Little Feelings show a side of his musical personality not generally known to those who know him only from his work with the M.J.Q. The instrumentation gave him an opportunity to present a more forceful side of himself and to work with a wider dynamic range than the more intimate level of the quartet would seem to allow.

Without benefit of introduction three thematic motifs, drawn in solid unison lines, present themselves in quick succession. These three themes, cast in a minor key, emphasize a certain blue-note feeling, in this case through the use of the flatted fifth. As the themes pile up on top of each other one by one, an ominous note is introduced by a timpani and cymbal roll; but this is quickly dispersed by a relaxing trombone counter melody, played by J. J. Soon Miles enters, playing one of the three motives, a chromatic four-note pattern whose center of gravity is the flat fifth. Out of this eight-bar statement emerges his first improvisation, disarming in its simplicity and economy, but blending perfectly into the character of the piece. Osie Johnson's strong playing sparks the next section, a powerful, snapping outburst in the brass. Later against a background of richly voiced lower brass, Miles returns for a short solo, as if reminiscing, and the piece closes with an almost Brahmsian feeling of gravity.

The second movement, again featuring Miles, presents John in an even more nostalgic and poignant mood. An idyllic atmosphere pervades everything, especially in the middle section where John gently extends two measures in such a way as to give them an almost timeless feeling. The undulating movement in the trombones and baritones makes the chord seem suspended in time, while Miles is free to wander about unhampered, as it were. Also listen to the rich tone of Bill Barber's tuba as he underlines the entire piece, blending when necessary with Milt Hinton's bass.

The third movement returns to the minor key and tempo of the first section. A horn call, beautifully intoned by Jim Buffington, introduces the piece. Then a variant of the chromatic motive from the first movement makes its appearance, leading to J. J.'s finely conceived, perky forty-bar solo. A strong climax and a recapitulation of the horn call (this time played by all four horns) end the piece. In this movement John has made particularly excellent use of the timpani, without resorting to mere effects or bombastic noise.

These pieces are superb examples of John Lewis's creative talent. In a very simple, unspectacular way he combines the romantic and the classical in a judicious blending. His great melodic gift is very much in evidence. John has that rare ability to create a melody which is thoroughly conventional, immediately hummable, sounds as if one had heard it somewhere before, and yet is in fact absolutely original. Above all, this music has that unassailable quality of right- ness for which there is no substitute.

Giuffre's approach, as indicated above, is quite different. In his own words, "brass instruments in large numbers suggest to me ceremonies of perhaps a royal nature, a sense of excitement, as though something momentous were about to happen."

The stage is set by the timpani, playing a rhythm which, says Giuffre, "suggested Egypt to me, and when the brass enter I imagined the approach of a great Pharaoh and his court; hence the title."

The form of the work is quite original, developing out of the thematic material itself. Different sections feature different groups and material. Outstanding, for instance, is the magnificent six-part writing for trumpets alone (about half- way through the piece), where Bernie Glow's high C shines forth like a beacon in the dark. Another highly interesting moment is the bridge featuring a trio of trumpet, horn and timpani. The difficult high horn part is played with consummate ease by Joe Singer.

All the thematic material is finally gathered together for the final climactic section which ends in a blaze of sound, topped by Bernie Glow's high F. (At 3:00 A. M., towards the end of a lip-withering recording session, Bernie's infallible accuracy and power nearly lifted the roof off at Columbia's vaulted studios.) – G. S.

DIMITRI MITROPOULOS musical director of the New York Philharmonic-Symphony, needs no introduction, either as one of the world's greatest conductors or as a champion of contemporary music. His keen interest in the Schuller Symphony and his enthusiastic support of the aims of the Society persuaded him to participate in this unusual recording.

CUNTHER SCHULLER, first horn with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, is self-taught in composition. Among his public appearances, he has been heard as soloist in his own concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony, Eugene Goossens conducting. The present work developed from this appear- ance, having been written at the suggestion of Ernest Glover, director of the brass ensemble of the Cincinnati Conservatory, and conducted by him. Schuller has also performed frequently with jazz groups, including the now famous Miles Davis nine-piece recording group.

JOHN LEWIS, musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet, is responsible for the commissioning of the Johnson and Giuffre works. His first major work was Toccata for Trumpei and Orchestra, introduced at a 1947 Carnegie Hall concert by Dizzy Gillespie, with whose band John first became known as a pianist and arranger.

J. J. JOHNSON has won more jazz polls as the outstanding trombonist of recent years than the New York Yankees have won pennants. He is also an exceptional arranger, most of whose work has been for small combinations. After many years as a featured member of both big bands and small groups, J. J. organized an extraordinary quintet with another fine trombonist, Kai Winding, and since 1956 has been leading his own unit. Poem for Brass is his first large-scale work.

JIMMY GIUFFRE is the only one of the composers in this album to have studied composition extensively; he is, of course, much better known to the jazz public as a saxophonist and especially as a clarinetist. He is one of the musicians associated with the development of a rather unique style of modern jazz on the West Coast, and his new trio is considered to be the brightest and most individual new group to have emerged from this school.

Mardi Gras Parade Music From New Orleans

 

Mardi Gras Parade Music From New Orleans

Mardi Gras Parade Music From New Orleans
Southland Records LP-207

From the back cover: HEY: MARDI GRAS' Everybody In The Civilized World Hopes, Some Day, To See With His Own Eyes, Hear With His Own Ears, The Incredible Splendor And Joy Of Mardi Gras. The Big Day Is Shrove Tuesday, Immediately Preceding Ash Wednesday, And Climaxes A Gigantic, Two-Months Carnival, Studded With Parades, Masked Balls And Marked By The Most Unrestrained Gaiety To Be Witnessed Any Where On Earth. On Hundred And Seventy Foot Wide Canal Street In New Orleans Becomes A Milling Sea Of Humanity When Thousands Of Citizens And Visitors Pay Homage To The King Of The Mardi Gras.

The Parade Of Rex, A Gorgeous Spectacle, Starts At 10:30 A. M. On Shrove Tuesday. It Is Followed By Scores Of Truckloads Of Maskers. Interspersed With The Huge Crowd Are Thousands Of Maskers, In Fancy Or Funny Costumes, On Foot. Only A Born And Bred Orleanian Can Have At His Finger- tips All The Customs And Protocol Of The Season. He Understands The Relative Importance Of Rex, King Of Carnival And Lord Of Misrule, Momus, Comus, Proteus And All The Other Monarchs And Deities Of The Mammoth Festival. But Hundreds Of Thousands Of Annual Visitors Leap Into The Spirit Of Carnival, Regardless Of What Their Intentions Were When They Came. You'll See Them Masked And Cavorting On St. Charles, Canal Street, And In The French Quarter Having The Time Of Their Lives. Native Maskers Greet Each Other With The Shout, "Hey, Mardi Gras!" Every Masker Is A Mardi Gras, Of Course, Along With The Floats, The Mad Capers, The Dancing, There Is Parade Music, Band After Band Passes Playing "High Society" "Bourbon Street" Parade And All The Great Carnival Parade Tunes Such As You Will Hear On This Great Album.

The Very Large Negro Population Of New Orleans For Decade Upon Decade, Has Made Much Of Its Own Celebration, Climaxed On Mardi Gras By The Fabulous Parade Of King Zulu. The King And His Cohorts Proceed Down South Rampart, Dispensing Fried Fish, Coconuts And Assorted Trinkets To The Gleeful Throngs. The Great New Orleans Jazz Music That Accompanies These Processions Has Achieved Its Own Separate Renown In Every Corner Of The Globe.

Besides Those You'll Want To Send To Your Friends, You'll Certainly Want To Add This Mag- nificient Mardi Gras Souvenir To Your Own Record Collection. You'll Find It Recorded With Excellent Fidelity Under Ideal Acoustical Conditions For The Tunes. The Performances Are As Good As You'll Ever Hear In New Orleans, Which In Other Words Mean The Best In The World.

So, Hey, Mardi Gras' Have A Wonderful Time, These Parade Tunes Will Always Bring You Back To New Orleans On Fat Tuesday, And You'll Again Be Part Of The Greatest Free Show On Earth, The New Orleans Mardi Gras. – DESSIE LEE

SIDE ONE

BAND ONE: MARDI GRAS PARADE; EMILE CHRISTIAN AND HIS NEW ORLEANS JAZZ BAND. Mike Lala (Trumpet), Harry Shields (Clarinet), Bob Havens (Trombone), Emile Christian (Trombone), Armand Hug (Piano), Joe Carparo (Banjo), Monk Hazel (Drums)

BAND TWO: BOURBON STREET PARADE; SANTO PECORA AND HIS NEW ORLEANS RHYTHM KINGS. Santo Pecora (Trombone), Lester Bouchon (Clarinet), Thomas Jefferson (Trumpet), Phil Darois (String Bass), Roy Zimmerman (Piano), Johnny Edwards (Drums)

BAND THREE: MARCH OF THE BOB CATS; PETE FOUNTAIN AND HIS NEW ORLEANS BAND. Eddie Miller (Tenor Sax), Pete Fountain (Clarinet), Al Hirt. (Trumpet), Stan Wrightsman (Piano), Morty Corb (Bass), Ray Bauduc (Drums), Abe Lincoln (Trombone)

BAND FOUR: NEW ORLEANS PARADE - George Girard (Trumpet), Joe Rotis (Trombone), Harry Shields (Clarinet), Paul Edwards (Drums), Bob Discon (Piano), Emile Christian (String Bass).

BAND FIVE-BASIN STREET BLUES: THOMAS JEF- FERSON'S CREOLE JAZZ BAND: Thomas Jefferson (Trumpet), Paul Barbarin (Drums), Lester Santiago (Piano), Sam Dutrey (Clarinet), Frog Joseph (Trombone), Jerry Adams (String Bass).

SIDE TWO

BAND ONE: KING ZULU PARADE; JOHNNY WIGGS AND HIS NEW ORLEANS KINGS. Johnny Wiggs (Cornet), Raymond Burke (Clarinet), Emile Christian (Trom- bone), Jeff Riddick (Piano), Edmond Souchon (Banjo), Paul Barbarin (Drums), Sherwood Mangiapane (Tuba)

BAND TWO: HIGH SOCIETY; SHARKEY AND HIS KINGS OF DIXIELAND. Sharkey Bonano (Trumpet), Harry Shields (Clarinet), Bob Havens (Trombone), Armand Hug (Piano), Joe Capraro (Banjo), Monk Hazel (Drums), Chink Martin (Bass)

BAND THREE: WHILE WE DANCE AT THE MARDI GRAS; AL HIRT AND HIS JAZZ BAND. Al Hirt (Trum- pet), Harry Shields (Clarinet), Bob Havens (Trombone), Joe Capraro (Guitar), Paul Edwards (Drums), Roy Zimmerman (Piano), Phil Darois (String Bass)

BAND FOUR: BUZZARD'S PARADE; SHARKEY AND HIS KINGS OF DIXIELAND. Sharkey Bonano (Trum- pet), Harry Shields (Clarinet), Bob Havens (Trombone), Armand Hug (Piano), Joe Capraro (Banjo), Emile Chris- tian (Trombone), Monk Hazel (Drums)

BAND FIVE-IF I EVER CEASE TO LOVE: JOHNNY WIGGS AND HIS NEW ORLEANS KINGS: Johnny Wiggs (Cornet), Raymond Burke (Clarinet), Jeff Riddick (Piano), Emile Christian (Trombone), Edmond Souchon (Banjo), Paul Barbarin (Drums), Sherwood Mangiapane (Tuba)

Chinese Music Moonlight

 

Moonlight

Chinese Music
Moonlight
Recorded by K. K. Wong of Life Records, LTD.
21st Century Record Co. STEREO TFLP 201

Made in Hong Kong

Ng Tai Kong - Er-Hu and Kao-Hu
Moya Rea - Piano
Dr. S. M. Bard - Leader
Yu Lin - Conductor

Moonlight
Fantasia
Waltz
Singing Birds
Autumn Moon
Dance Of The Yao People

Det Danske Harmonika Ensemble

 

Donna Diana Ouverture

Det Danske Harmonika Ensemble
Jeanette Dyremose
Sonet SLP-1586
1980

From the back cover: THE DANISH ACCORDION ENSEMBLE was founded in 1977 by the internationally known accordion teacher JEANETTE DYREMOSE.

All the members of the ensemble are students of Jeanette Dyremose, and all have successfully taken part in international solo and ensemble competitions, some of which have been sponsored by The World Accordion Society C.I.A. I.M.C./UNESCO and the famous Klingenthaler Competition.

In 1979, for example, Annette Løffler won 1st. prize in both Vienna and Klingenthal, at the time she was only 13 years old. In 1980 she won 1st. prize in The Berlingskes Music Competition, held in Copenhagen, and the same year performed with great success at the I.S.M.E. (International Society For Music Education) congress held in Warsaw.

The Danish Accordion Ensemble has taken part in many international music festivals and competitions. In Rotterdam 1977, the ensemble won 1st. prize and the Dutch Cultural Ministry's gold medal for their performance in ensemble playing, artistic class.

Since then, Jeanette Dyremose and her ensemble have toured extensively with great success giving concerts in Denmark, Holland, West Germany, East Germany, Poland, Norway and Sweden.

Donna Diana Ouverture
Bach Goes To Town
Espana Cani

Champagne Galop
Florentiner March
Russian & Ljudmilla
Koncert Suite For Harmonkia
Sabeldans
Fra Balletten Gayaneh