Dancers In Love - Ike Carpenter

 

Dancers In Love

Dancers In Love

Ike Carpenter Orchestra

Discovery Records - Hollywood, California

DL 3003 (10-inch LP)

1949

From the back cover: Ike Carpenter and his orchestra represent a fusion of talents seldom found in their field. Ike, still in his early twenties demonstrates a maturity of conception and technique more representative of a much older person. Born in Durham, N.C., and a product of Duke University, as a scholarship student in music, Ike's early background was in classical piano. Just before organizing his first orchestra, Ike's last "long- haired" appearance was as featured soloist, with symphony orchestra accompaniment, in the Grieg A-Minor Piano Concerto, although he admits at that time to being featured as "the world's fastest boogie-woogie pianist" with a local college dance band.

It was this combination of fantastic legitimate technique with a beat, that led to his name-band jobs with Johnny "Scat" Davis, Johnny Long, Boyd Raeburn, and Bobby Sherwood. His first New York engagement was on the stage of the Paramount Theatre as featured soloist with Johnny Long in George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, a cold opening when Long's previous pianist was suddenly drafted. Most recently, a curiously similar situation occurred when Ike filled in at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas in the Salute to Gershwin review, impersonating the famous com- poser - playing Rhapsody in Blue again, and having to learn some 30 new arrangements on only 24 hours notice.

Starting his own band in April 1947 on the West Coast, Ike proved a point, that with only ten other musicians and himself, by careful voicing of the sounds and arrangements this orchestra could sound like a much bigger group. Using an instrumentation of two trumpets and two trombones, two altos, one tenor and one baritone sax, bass, drums and Ike's piano, the fans and critics hailed this new sensible approach to modern dance music. Variety said, "Outfit has a style patterned on Ellington, and by some miracle actually makes eleven musikers sound like 20". Billboard's review of the new band on its first engagement at Tommy Dorsey's Casino Gardens said, "If tonite is any indication, it will appeal musically as well as numerically for although instrument toters don't quite make a dozen, final product off-times sounds like it comes from a sixteen or eighteen piece aggregation. Reason for this is the thoughtful approach to band's instrumental balance and voicing." A series of long runs, breaking attendance records on the West Coast, then skyrocketed the band and its success has since prompted others to follow this musical pattern.

A handsome, blonde six-footer, Ike has capital- ized on his "shy-guy" personality to sell the band as "front man". After hearing his soft, pronounced Southern accent, an amazed fan remarked "And how could anyone talk so slow and play so fast?"

Due credit should go to Hal Gordon for his supervision of this Discovery recording date so that the results would be what Ike and his organi- zation consider representative of their musical efforts.

DANCERS IN LOVE: ("The Perfume of Unso- phisticated Love") - Duke Ellington's own rangement for Ike's piano of the title tune is from the PERFUME SUITE, first performed at Carnegie Hall, New York. This work, portraying the different perfumes according to the character of the women wearing them, shows a little girl snapping her fingers to the rhythm on her first dance date and Duke slyly sub-titles it "A Stomp for Beginners".

FLAMINGO: Arranged by Paul Villepigue for only nine men and Ike (just one trumpet) has a fine resonant vocal by Discovery's own David Allen with a piano solo by Ike, very pretty in it's bell-like quality and interesting phrasing.

AFTER ALL: This Hubie Wheeler arrangement was the first tune put in Ike's book when he organized. The piano solo is distinguished by sensitive dynamics and delicacy. Other stand-outs are the lead trumpet of Lou Obergh and the pleasantly restrained, melodic trombone of Tommy Pedersen – all proof that "good music" can be good dance music as well!

MOON MIST: The Paul Villepigue arrangement of Ike's lovely radio theme was composed by Mercer Ellington, Duke's son- and features, after the leader's piano, a muted trumpet by Gerald Wilson, the distinctive lead-alto sax of George Weidler, and a wonderful Ted Nash clarinet-lead voicing to finish.

TAKE THE "A" TRAIN: Another Paul Villepigue special of a great standard swings easily through Gerald Wilson's muted trumpet, Lucky Thomp. son's tenor, and awonderfully long facile phrase at the conclusion of Ike's piano solo.

CHELSEA BRIDGE: Paul Villepigue's arrange- ment of the famous Billy Strayhorn tone-poem is built around a typical Ellington trio voicing, Weidler's alto and the big rich baritone sax of Joe Cook, an unusual instrument for sweet solos. The thrilling climax leads into Ike's piano with the final sax features split by Lucky Thompson's tenor and a Ted Nash alto solo.

SCREAMLINER: Ike Carpenter's own arrange. ment for his rhythm trio. A standard showpiece in his repertoire to demonstrate his technique with a beat. One of his most requested numbers, this was recorded after work in the "wee small hours", when everyone was just beat enough to be pleasantly relaxed.