Take Me Along - Marty Paich

Sid Ol' Kid

Take Me Along
Marty Paich and His Jazz Piano Quartet
Produced by Dick Peirce
Recording Engineer: Al Schmitt
Recorded at RCA Victor's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California, on September 14, October 6 and 7, 1959
RCA Victor LPM-2164

From the back cover: We tried to be very careful in selecting the eight hands for the album. I don't know any octopi who play great jazz, but we found something even better: Pete Jolly, Jimmy Rowes and Johnny Williams. I provided the seventh and eight hands myself. We rounded out the "orchestra" with guitar, bass, two drummers and trumpet. All of us seem to think a lot alike, but each man contributes a slightly different "personality" to the music. Pete has a wonderful modern jazz concept. You can see what I mean on the first improvised chorus of the title tune.

Jimmy's work has a lot of warmth and shows a very broad knowledge of all types of jazz, from early jazz to modern. He plays the second solo on Take Me Along. Johnny is our "anchor man." He has a tremendous classical background and technique, and still with a fine jazz understanding. This is especially important on tunes like Little Green Snake where I based the whole thing on an almost classical type of fugue or canon. The trumpet provides color and changes of pace. I often have him playing without any piano background at all.

I tried to write each man's part especially for hime. I write best this way and it seems to add more color and depth. On Nine O'Clock, Jimmy and John play celeste while Pete and I play piano countermelodies. Then when we all play together, it builds up to quite a climax. These boys are really good musicians. With all this piano talent around, I was at first content to sit back and let them take all the solos. However, the temptation got the best of me and I had to give a little of my own solo interpretation to the song of Sid, Ol' Kid.

I might comment of the overture. It's sort of musical "editor's preface." I wrote it to give the listener an idea of what's coming next. It sets the mood for whole album.

This has been a real challenge. I've tried to keep strictly in the jazz idiom. Everything was written out except the improvised solos. In order to give the whole thing continuity, I often took a classical approach to the form. – Marty Paich (as told to Bill Olofson)

Overture – Take Me Along
Nine O'Clock
Little Green Snake
Promise Me A Rose
But Yours
Sid, Ol' Kid
Patience Of A Saint
Staying Young
Thinkin' Things
We're Home