Gold On Silk - Ray Wright

Gold On Silk
The Ray Wright Orchestra
Produced and Directed by Andy Sannella
Technical Director : Robert J. Engler
Recording Engineer: Aaron Nathanson
Everest LPBR 6048
1959

Featuring

Will Bradley - Trombone
Doc Severinsen - Trumpet
Jimmy Chambers - French Horn
Don Butterfield - Tuba

Available from online vendors so I will not be posting a sample. Presented here to share the biographical information found on the back cover.

Lush, dynamic arrangements featuring soloists as noted. Excellent period mood set.

Ray (for Rayburn) Wright is a former baseman himself, having played trombone with Tony Pastor and the Glenn Miller orchestra. He has a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, a Master of Science degree from Columbia University, and he's done graduate work at the Juilliard School of Music. His subsequent career included three years as chief arranger for the Radio City Music Hall, and his work can be heard on Raymond Paige's Everest album, Music Hall Bon-Bons (Everest SDBR 1024, LPBR 5024, STBR 1024). Ray has been "the man behind the scenes." He is a consistently skillful arranger who has the ability to catch the quality that best complements the particular style and feeling of each artist. On this set, "Gold on Silk," he did the arrangements along with Dick Lieb and Larry Crosley. He also wrote Small Town Blues and Lonesome Horn especially for this album.

Will Bradley, has been playing trombone professionally since he was 16. His band experience includes stays with Red Nichols and Ray Noble and from 1939 to 1942, Will led a buoyantly successful band with Ray McKinley whose recorded hits include Beat Me Daddy Eight To The Bar and Scrub Me Mama With A Boogie Beat. Before and after his experience as a band leader, Will had extensive network staff experience at CBS. He's also been continually in demand at recording sessions. Currently at NBC, Will freelances on recording dates and pursues another career as a composer of classical music. He's written, among other compositions, several larger string works, a brass suite, and recently, a Suite For Ten Brass And Percussion. As an avocation, Will paints in textural forms and does abstract wood sculpture.

Trumpeter, Doc Severinsen was trained by his father as a classical trumpet player. While still attending school, Doc joined Ted Fio Rito, and then came Army service. After having been discharged, he played with Charlie Barnet and Sam Donahue. Doc's next job representing the fulfillment of a high school ambition – he joined Tommy Dorsey with whose band he was a featured soloist, as he had been with Charlie Barnet. After some time with Dorsey, Doc settled in New York and joined the NBC staff orchestra. He was featured on the former Steve Allen Tonight Show and with Skitch Henderson's orchestra on many other programs. He's conducted NBC "Band Of Stars" on the Bandstand Show and was a prominent member of Billy Taylor's group on the NBC-TV educational series The Subject Is Jazz.

Jim Chambers is solo French Horn for the New York Philharmonic- Symphony. Although he began to play the French horn at the age of ten, his formal study of that difficult instrument didn't begin until he was seventeen – two years after he made his debut with the Trenton Symphony. In 1940-41, Chambers played in the All-American Youth Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski. After being graduated from Curtis Institute in 1941, Chambers won his first post with a major orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony with Fritz Reiner conducting. In 1942, he became solo horn with the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1946, he was engaged as solo French horn with the New York Philharmonic. In addition to his orchestral work, Chambers has also appeared as a concert with chamber groups. He taught at Curtis Institute, at Juilliard since 1946, and for the past three years, conducts a class in orchestra repertoire at the Manhattan School of Music.

Don Butterfield, the tuba virtuoso, started on the tuba in the high school band. From 1946 - 52, he studied at the Juilliard School of Music with the brilliant tuba player, Bill Bell. Butterfield's experience includes work with New York Philharmonic, the NBC and CBS Symphony Orchestra, the Goldman Band, the Band Of America, and the dance units of Claude Thornhill, Sauter-Finegan and Dick Malthy, and is currently principal tuba player with the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra. He organized his own jazz sextet, appeared at the Newport Festival, and all in all, has been zealous in championing the cause of the tuba as a instrument capable of more musical range than had been generally assumed. He notes, incidentally, that this album represents the first time the tuba has been featured as a solo instrument with strings.

In addition to these four superior brass soloists, that are Gene Orloff, who is responsible for the eloquent violin statements; Al Klink, flute; Bill Gromko, viola; and Dave Soyer, cello. The equally expert rhythm section consists of Don Lamond or Joe Venuto, drums; Bernie Leighton, piano; Bar Galbraith, guitar; and Homer Mensch, bass.

– Nat Hentoff
Stormy Weather - Jimmy Chambers
I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good - Doc Severinson
Small Town Blues - Will Bradley
Yesterdays - Don Butterfield
September Song - Doc Severinson
My Man's Gone Now - Jimmy Chambers
Lonesome Horn - Doc Severinson
My One And Only Love - Don Butterfield
Why Was I Born - Will Bradley
Moonlight Mood - Jimmy Chambers
Ghost Of A Chance - Doc Severinson
"The Bad And The Beautiful" Theme - Don Butterfield

My Fair Lady - Shelly Manne

I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face

Modern Performances Of Songs From My Fair Lady
Shelly Manne & His Friends
Shelly Manne (drums), Andre Previn (piano) and Leroy Vinnegar (bass)
Produced by Lester Koenig
Engineer and Technical Supervisor: Roy DuNamn
Cover Photo by Phil March
Design by Guidi/Tri-Arts
Andre Previn appear courtesy of Decca Records, Inc.
Vol. 2 Contemporary Records C35287
Recorded August 17, 1956 at Cotemporary's Studio in Los Angeles

From Billboard - July 21, 1956: Shelly Manne's "friends" on this record date were pianist Andre Previn and bassist Leroy Vinnegar. Previn's work is of most immediate interest, for it represents a great advance jazzwise over anything of his released to date. Not that he hasn't always had something of interest to say, but in the past too much of it was precious and unslinging. Here, however, he moves along dynamically from start to finish. Sample of exquisitely fingered line of "Stars Fell On Alabama," the variety of dance accents of "The Girl Friend" or the subtle percussive quality of "I Cover The Waterfront," with Manne and Vinegar giving unfailing brilliant support. This West Coast be a good traffic item for all dealers.

From the back cover:

Shelly Manne was born in New York City, June 11, 1920. He joined the union when he was 18, and his first job was with a band on ship plying between New York and Le Have. Between trips he spent much time in the clubs on 52nd Street and in Harlem, listening and learning. Before joining the Coast Guard for 3 1/2 years he played with leading big bands. Upon discharge he worked on 52nd Street again, then joined Stan Kenton for three tours of the U.S. In 1951 Shelly left Kenton to settle in California. He played for motion pictures, radio, TV and night clubs until 1952 when he joined Howard Ramsey's Lighthouse All-Stars. In 1954 he left the All-Stars to co-front a group with Shorty Rogers until the fall of '55 when he formed his own quintet, Shelly Manne & His Men. He is generally considered winner of Down Beat and Metronome popularity polls, and was Metronome "Musician Of The Year" for 1955.

Andre Previn was born in Berlin, Germany, April 6, 1929 and began his musical studies in Europe. He came to the U.S. in 1939 and continued studying in Los Angeles, first with the late Joseph Achron, and since 1944 with Casttelnuovo-Tedesco. He has been composing and conducting film scores at MGM since 1949 (except for two years 1950-51 spent in the Army), and is currently working on his 25th picture. He has been nominated three times for Academy Awards. He is a gifted classical, popular and jazz pianist, and has appeared on the concert stage and in night clubs with equal success. He became interested in jazz after hearing Art Tatum and realizing what could be done in jazz forms. His conviction jazz is "a very important and genuine American art form" was strengthen in the 1950s when he heard Bud Powell and the late Charlie Parker. He enjoys playing with Shelly Manne, and appeared on the first Friends album (C3525) with Shelly Manne in February 1956.

Leroy Vinnegar was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 13, 1928. He is a comparatively new name in jazz, yet critics and fans are beginning to recognize his extraordinary talent. He is a completely self-taught bass player who "just picked it up" as a teen-ager in Indianapolis. He had fooled around with the piano, but the first time he tired the bass he "discovered that was for me." He has been a professional musician since he was 20, first with local groups in Indianapolis, then for a year in Chicago. He came to Los Angeles in 1954, and his first "real gig" with Barney Kessel's Quartet at Jazz City led to his playing and recording with many of the best-known West Coast musicians. Since October 1955 he has been a regular member of Shelly Manne's group.

Lester Koenig
August 27, 1956

Get Me The The Church On Time
On The Street Where You Live
I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
Wouldn't It Be Lovely
Ascot Gavotte
Show Me
With A Little Bit Of Luck
I Could Have Danced All Night

Nexus - Klemmer

Nexus

Nexus
For Duo And Trio
John Klemmer - Carl Burnett - Bob Magnusson
Produced by John Klemmer
For John Klemmer Productions
Age Of The Artist Series
Novus / Arista Records AN2 3500
1979

Book fold jacket - 2 disc set.

From the back cover: This group concept called Nexus, consists of myself, Bob Magnusson and Carl Burnett. The musical collaboration has allowed me to express my roots with them, Chicago... Post-Be-Bop... all night jam sessions.

Misty
Body And Soul
Mr. PC
God Bless The Child
My One And Only Love
Softly As In A Morning Sunshine
Impressions
Four
Nexus