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
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
