Shorty Rogers Meets Tarzan

 

Tarzanic Suite

Shorty Rogers Meets Tarzan

Music From The Metro-Goldwyn - Mayer Picture "Tarzan, The Ape Man"

Produced by Jesse Kaye

Photograph: Shorty Rogers and Denny Miller, star of M-G-M's "Tarzan, The Ape Man"

Cover Photograph by Garrett-Howard, Inc., Hollywood

Composed and Conducted by Shorty Rogers

MGM E3798

1960

Personnel:

Trumpets: Al Porcino, Buddy Childers, Don Fagerquist & Ollie Mitchell

Trombones: Harry Betts, Frank Rosolino, Bob Enevoldsen & Marshall Cram

Saxes: Bud Shank, Bill Perkins, Bob Cooper, Bill Holman, Chuck Gentry & Bill Hood

Drums: Frank Capp, Modesto Duran, Carlos Rosario, Chico Guerrero & Chach Gonzalez

Piano: Pete Jolly

Bass: Joe Mondragon & Buddy Clark

Leader and Arranger: Shorty Rogers

From the back cover: Hollywood has produced many adventure stories; but this is the first time a film producer – Al Zimbalist – dared to combine the wild, Afro-Cuban music with the Modern School of Jazz and run this type of music through a motion picture. So often, we have been told that Modern Jazz had much of its origination in the jungles of Africa – never has it been so sharply brought out as is Shorty Rogers' music for this jungle picture. The blend of musical excitement with film excitement is quite apparent to anyone who has seen M-G-M's "Tarzan, The Ape Man," Rogers literally "turned himself loose" in order to accomplish his purpose. He had no precedent to go by; nor did he want any. He lived with the picture for two weeks; then, he went to work on the musical arrangements which were to add much to the value of the motion picture. The music, however, has been specially re-recorded for this album in order to retain the complete themes – which, obviously, was not possible to do when filming scenes of various lengths.

Also from the back cover: Short was born Milton M. Rogers on April 14th in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He began playing trumpet while a freshman at the High School Of Music and Arts in New York City.

He spent six months in Will Bradley's band during 1942, and was with Red Norvo – now his brother-in-law – until he went into the Army in 1943. Upon his discharge, he joined the Woody Herman band and stayed for two years. He then went to California to study music-theory and composition under Dr. Wesley La Violette. This was followed by an engagement with the Stan Kenton Orchestra as arranger, composer and trumpet player. Later, he arranged for such artists a Nat King Cole, Woody Herman, Billy Eckstine, Charlie Barnet and others.

Shorty Rogers has been a leading influence in building the West Coast into a "prestige" jazz center. Today, the thirty-five year old trumpeter is one of the busiest musician-arrangers on the West Coast. His work ranges all the way from the Classics to Jazz and in all fields, including motion pictures and TV.

M-G-M Records is grateful to RCA Victor for their permission to use Shorty Rogers in this album. RCA Victor Studios in Hollywood were used for these recordings.

The Elephants Wail

Los Barbaros

Paradise Found

Trapped

Los Primitivos

Oomgawa

Tarzanic Suite