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Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Concord Super Band In Tokyo

 

Nuages

Concord Super Band In Tokyo
2-Record Set
Produced by Carl E. Jefferson, President, Concord Jazz, Inc.
Recording Engineer: Yoshihisa Watanabe
Remix Engineer: Phil Edwards
Photography: Kinjiro Miyazaki
Cover Design: Kaoru Kato
Recorded at Tokyo Yubin Chokin Hall September 15, 1979
Concord Jazz, Inc. CJ-80
1979

From the inside cover: The Concord All Stars, headed by Carl Jefferson, President of Concord Jazz, gave their opening concert at Tokyo's Yomiuri Hall on September 8, 1978. Only Monty Budwig and Jake Hanna had visited Japan previously, Monty with Benny Goodman and Jake in the rhythm section of Super Sax and later with Zoot Simms. The rest of the group, Ross Tompkins, Cal Collins, Warren Vache and Scott Hamilton, were known to their Japanese fans solely by virtue of their recordings on the Concord label. As the band took the stage amidst thunderous applause, many in the audience expressed surprise to see Scott Hamilton without his trademark dark glasses, looking more like a diplomat than a saxophonist. But when he began to play in his distinctive lush style, there was no mistaking his vocation. A near-capacity crowd of jazz enthusiasts and music critics (including some specialists in rock music) was rewarded with the kind of outstanding playing we have come to expect from Hamilton, in addition to equally skillful performances by Warren Vache, Cal Collins and Ross Tompkins, none of whom had ever appeared in concert in Japan. After the show, many in the audience, still flushed with excitement generated by the Super Band adjourned to nearby coffee houses to discuss the stirring performance they had witnessed.

From Billboard - March 10, 1979: Taped in Tokyo last September the band comprises Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Cal Collins, Ross Tompkins, Monty Budwig and Jake Hanna. Repertoire includes 11 jammable standards spread out over four LP sides, all of it attractively packaged. Hamilton on tenor (he is 24) continues to impress as one of the most exciting soloists in recent years but there are few dull spots in the entire presentation. Best cuts: "Blue Lester," "Blue Lou," "Don't Blame Me."

I Would Do Anything For You
Blue Lester
Nuages
Don't Blame Me
Blue Lou
You're Driving Me Crazy
Blue And Sentimental
I'm Gonna Go Fishing
Sleepy Time Down South
Take The "A" Train
Undecided

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for posting this! I've been trying to find Cal Collins' rendition of Nuages for ages. I think it is one of the best recorded versions out there.

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