Download Data
01 - Duke Pearson's Big Band - Ground Hog
02 - Duke Pearson's Big Band - New Girl
03 - Duke Pearson's Big Band - Bedouin
04 - Duke Pearson's Big Band - Straight Up And
05 - Duke Pearson's Big Band - Ready When You Are C.B.
06 - Duke Pearson's Big Band - New Time Shuffle
07 - Duke Pearson's Big Band - Mississippi Dip
08 - Duke Pearson's Big Band - A Taste Of Honey
09 - Duke Pearson's Big Band - Time After Time
Ezen a lemezen egy közel 20 tagú, de majdnem kis létszámú big banddet hallhatunk. Eme nagyszerű interpretálás Duke Pearson vezetésével törtlnt 1967-ben. Természetesen ne degradáljuk le a muzsikusok jelenlétét sem, mivel nélkülük nem igazán jöhetett volna létre ez a lemez. Az album sajnos erősen viseltes volt már , de sikerült egy képet találni az eredeti borító fotóval. Ami viszont a rosszabb, hogy semmi más haganyagot nem találtam róluk.
De remélem a Big Band kedvelők igy sem fognak elkeseredni, mert ez az album nyújthat nekik némi kárpótlást...... Ahogy mondani, vagy is írni szokták...
Enjoy!
A Side
---------
01 - Ground Hog - Duke Pearson
02 - New Girl - Duke Pearson
03 - Bedouin - Duke Pearson
04 - Straight Up And - Down Duke Pearson
B Side
---------
05 - Ready When You Are C.B. - Duke Pearson
06 - New Time Shuffle - Duke Pearson
07 - Mississippi Dip - Duke Pearson
08 - A Taste Of Honey - Duke Pearson
09 - Time After Time - Duke Pearson
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONNEL:
Trumpets: RANDY RRECKER, BURT COLLINS, JOE SHEPLEY, MARVIN STAMM
Trombones: GARNETF BROWN, BENNY POWELL (bass trombone),JLJLIAN PRIESTER, KENNY RUPP
Reeds: JERRY DODGION (alto sax, fiute, piccolo), AL GIBBQNS (alto sax, flute, bass ciarinet), FRANK FOSTER (tönor sax), LEW TABACKIN, (tenor sax), PEPPER ADAMS (baritone sax, ciarinet)
Piano: DUKÉ PEARSON
Bass: BOB CRANSHAW
Drurns: MICKEY ROKER
Sicie 1
01. GRQUNDHOG Time3:00 (Duke Pearson) Gailantcy Music Co.—SMI
02. NEWGIRL Time6:00 (Duke Pearson) Gailantcy Music Co.—SMI
03. BEDOUJN Time 5:20 (Duke Pearson) Gailantcy Music Co.—BMI
04. STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN Time 6:55 (Chic Corea) Litha Music—BMi
Side 2
01. READY WHEN YOU ARE C.B. Time 2:51 (Duke Pearson) Gailantcy Music Co.—BMI
02. NEW TIME SHUFFLE Time 5:30 (Joe Sample) Four Knights Music—BMI
03. MISSISSIPPIDIP Time230 (Irwin-Andrews) Metric Music Co.—BMI
04. A TASTE QF HONEY Time 5:25 (Scott-Marlow) Songfest Music Inc.—ASCAP
05. TIMEAFTERTIME Time4:05 (Styne-Cahn) Sands Music—ASCAP
Cover Design by FORLENZA-VENOSA ASSOCIATES
Cover Photos 1w JOE BRODSKY
Recording by RUDY VAN CELDER
-----------------------------------------------
Comment.......
Will big bands ever come back? After a number of conversations with many of my listeners, along with- my own personal observations, I would say that big bands wili never come back, at least not in the concept ot the 1940’s and early 50’s. Most of the auclience far bands in those years liked to dance, the rest listened. Today latin, rock, and commercial bands keep the dancers happy. F’eople who really want to listen and appreciate the excitement of a big band jelling are people more musically matured.
Both musicianship and the listeriing public have advanced in the last twenty years. We who love jazz appreciate a musical challenge. From the perfect execution ot section work to exciting individual solos the musical material must never bore.
Duke Pearson’s band has these qualities. There isn’t a weak link in the chain of musicians that make up Duke’s band. Every musician is a strong reader, every musician an exciting soloist. This band has become a ciose organization with each musician having the utmost respect for one another, a beautifu big band rapport, and the reason. . . Duke Pearson -
Duke Pearson, born in Atlanta, Georgia on August 17, 1932, to a very musical family. Nis entire environment filled with music. Mother played the piano; sisters ali musically inclined; an uncie, saxophonist. Duke had excellent formai training in music. Nis basic instrument ig the piano, although he can get some pretty interésting sounds out of a trumpet. Attended Clark College in Atlanta, and after having attained a certain musical maturity Duke decided to try to carve a way into show business with New York as his base of operations.
Duke arrived in the Big City on January 20, 1959; gigged with Donald Byrd, Pepper Adams, and a number of other jazz musicipns. In March, 1963 he became affiliated with Blue Note Records es assistant to Altred Lion.
Blue Note Records is currently one of the oldest jazz labels around, I believe close to thirty years at this writing, and no one deserves more credit than Alfred Lion. Alfred Lion was instrumental in Duke Pearson’s development. As a producer Duke Iooks far an artist that has strong musical convictions, taste, and a detinite styie.
The birth of Duke Pearson’s band happened in February ot 1967. Duke looked far musicians that could do justice to his interesting charts, would understand his music.
Duke approached alto saxophonist, Jerry Dodgion; trombonist, Garnett Brown; trumpeter, Burt Collins; and assigned them the task ot section Ieaders. They in turn worked with Duke choosing the men necessary to complete the sax, trombone, and trumpet sections. Added to the sax section was Pepper Adams on baritone, Al Gibbons on alto, and on tenors, Count Basie alumni Frank Foster and newcomer Lew Tabackin.
Garnett Brown selected Benny PowelI, another ex-Basie-ite, plus exciting Julian Priester and Kenny Rupp (formerly with Maynard Ferguson) tor the trombone seetion. Trumpeter Burt
Collins added Martin Stamm, Soe Shepley, and another newcomer, Randy Brecker, to the section. (Randy played with the Indiana U. band. A band that won the Notre Dame jazz testival competitions and toured tor the State Department to the Far East Randy was also awarded second prize at the International Jazz Festival in Vienna.)
The rhythm section was picked by Duke himself. The versatile Bab Cranshaw on baes and Mickey Roker, one ot the most exciting drummers around in jazz today. One should understand that drumming far a big band is a lot different than working with a small group. Carrying the puise ot a big band is quite an exacting job; working your accents with each section, driving the soloists. Keeping the band together is a wonderful teeling only a drummer can experience. Mickey was developed tor big band drumming by Duke. Atter having asked Duke tor a try he captured not only the teeling ot big band drumming, but became the “heart ot the band.”
l’ve been instrumental in getting the band some engagements. They’ve played the Half Note, La Martinique, and at this writing have appeared tor the third time at the regular Sunday atternoon sessions ‘m producing at the Dom, a jazz ciub in the East Village. They have also appeared at CIub Ruby in Jamaica, Queens.
Ground Hog..
Ground Hog has the feel of today’s young sound. Duke should put some lyrics to the tune, it’s an easy to take sound. You can feel a bit ot Atlanta, Duke’s home town.
New GirI...
Listen carefuliy to what New Gir! has to say. This com position builds around a number ot beautitul choruses on trumpet by Burt Collins. Catch Míckey Roker’s accents alongside the wonderful ensemble work ot the exciting brass and sax tigures. They lead into the tenor work ot Lew Tabackin, Duke’s tine piano tlow, the out choruses of Burt Collins, and tinaily the backbone of the entire band, Mickey Roker’s support. This composition does musicaily what a new giri would do—bring out the excitement in your musical genes.
Bedouin...
This composition És a musical portrait. Originaliy recorded by a smail group on “Wahoo” (Blue Note LP #4191). This big band interpretation enables Duke to present a fuller picture with the help ot the tiute work ot .Jerry Dodgion and Randy Brecker’s eastern flavored trumpet sound. Picture the lonely desert traveler, the camel gait, the Bedouin.
Straight Up and Down...
The album’s fire tune, Here is where you get the chance to appreciate Mickey Roker’s big band drumming, and the excellent capabilities ot the brass section. Martin Stamm’s opening statement with a bit of Sweet Georgia Brown, then
ott to the races. Thoroughbreds Martin Stamm on trumpet, Pepper Adams on baritone, Mickey Roker’s drums leading the band down the home stretch, then taking the band into halt time over the tinish line.
Ready When You Are C.B.
Listen to Duke teed the tirst tacet (just say, Count Basie . - Count Basie). Ready When You Are brings to mind the cioseness ot a Neil Hetti teeling which has always been prevalent with Basie. Funny thing though, in ali the gigs I’ve given Duke with the big band, he rarely plays the piano. Duke claims listening to the soloists takes a lot ot awareness. The pulse ot the band comes first. Duke teels he should be out front, not at the piano. In other words he telis the musicians, f’m Ready When You Are.
New Time Shutfle...
Written by Joe Sample ot the Jan Crusaders. Listen to Mickey Roker’s accents, Benny Powell’s shutflin’ along trombone choruses, Garnett Brown’s staccato trombone licks, Al Gibbon’s alto work and Julian Priester’s easy tlowing sound. Catch Joe Shepley’s high Double D at the end ot the tune.
Mississippi Dip..
Shades ot Watermelon Mao. Randy Brecker on trumpet. A tempo that’s been intiitrating the world ot jazz tor the past tive years, inviting Iisteners to dance and enjoy this tune.
Taste ot Honey
Quite an interesting arrangement. The initial time changes, the wondertul tenor sound ot Frank Foster. Frank to me ig one veteran musician that never stopped listening to the changes in jazz. Ne completeiy covers the entire range ot his horn, in tact he usually takes the tenor way out ot its natural range. In listening to Frank you can teel the impression the iate John Coltrane made on his musical thinking.
Time After Time...
O.K. You want to dance? Garnett Brown is featured, then it’s ali Joe Shepley. Joe has a remarkably tine, clear tone and beautitul range. Ne knows how to treat a ballad, he should record an entire ballad album.
Big band work is very important tor the development ot tine musicians. Precision reading, biending, selt discipline, playing the part ot a chord structure ...it’s the lack ot these basics that keep many talented musicians trom making a decent living. You would never believe how many musicians there are playing in small groups that couldn’t cut a chart. The cats in Duke’s band don’t have that problem, they’ve paid their dues. Their rewards can be heard in this tine big band album.
ALAN GRANT
