Tag Archives: Gunther Schuller

Gigi Gryce Orchestra And Quartet: Nica’s Tempo

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In December 1955, “Signal” label released “Nica’s Tempo”, album by Gigi Gryce Orchestra and Quartet (the second Gigi Gryce album overall). It was recorded in October 1955, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Hackensack, New Jersey, and was produced by Ozzie Cadena.

Personnel:

Gigi Gryce Orchestra

  • Gigi Gryce – alto saxophone
  • Cecil Payne – baritone saxophone
  • Danny Bank – baritone saxophone
  • Art Farmer – trumpet
  • Jimmy Cleveland – trombone
  • Eddie Bert – trombone
  • Julius Watkins – French horn
  • Gunther Schuller – French horn
  • Bill Barber – tuba
  • Horace Silver – piano
  • Art Blakey – drums
  • Oscar Pettiford – bass
  • Kenny Clarke – drums
  • Ernestine Anderson – vocals

Gigi Gryce Quartet

  • Gigi Gryce – alto saxophone
  • Thelonious Monk – piano
  • Percy Heath – bass
  • Art Blakey – drums
  • Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
  • Ira Gitler – liner notes

Track listing:

Gigi Gryce Orchestra

  1. Speculation – Horace Silver
  2. In a Meditating Mood – Gigi Gryce
  3. Social Call – Gigi Gryce, Jon Hendricks
  4. Smoke Signal – Gigi Gryce
  5. (You’ll Always Be) The One I Love – Gigi Gryce
  6. Kerry Dance – traditional

Gigi Gryce Quartet

  1. Shuffle Boil – Thelonious Monk
  2. Brake’s Sake – Thelonious Monk
  3. Gallop’s Gallop – Thelonious Monk
  4. Nica’s Tempo – Gigi Gryce

Ran Blake: Ran Blake Plays Solo Piano

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On May 1, 1965, “ESP-Disk” label released “Ran Blake Plays Solo Piano”, the second Ran Blake album. It was recorded in May 1965, at “Bell Sound Studios” in New York City.

Personnel:

  • Ran Blake – piano
  • Art Crist – engineer
  • Paul Frick – art direction
  • Saul Stollman – design
  • George Klabin – photography
  • Gunther Schuller – liner notes
  • Bob Marius – liner notes

Track listing:

  1. Vanguard – Ran Blake
  2. Stratusphunk – George Russell
  3. Sleepy Time Gal – Ange Lorenzo, Joseph Alden, Raymond Egan, Richard Whiting
  4. On Green Dolphin Street – Bronislav Kaper, Ned Washington
  5. Eric – Ran Blake
  6. There’ll Be Some Changes Made – Billy Higgins, W. Benton Overstreet
  7. Good Morning Heartache – Dan Fisher, Ervin Drake, Irene Higginbotham
  8. Sister Tee – Ran Blake
  9. Lonely Woman – Ornette Coleman
  10. Birmingham U.S.A. – Ran Blake

Miles Davis: Porgy And Bess

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On March 9, 1959, “Columbia” label released “Porgy and Bess”, album by Miles Davis. It was recorded July – August 1958, at “Columbia 30th Street” in New York City, and was produced by Cal Lampley.

Personnel:

  • Miles Davis – trumpet, flugelhorn
  • Cannonball Adderley – alto saxophone
  • Ernie Royal, Bernie Glow, Johnny Coles, Louis Mucci – trumpet
  • Dick Hixon, Frank Rehak, Jimmy Cleveland, Joe Bennett – trombone
  • Willie Ruff, Julius Watkins, Gunther Schuller – horn
  • Bill Barber – tuba
  • Phil Bodner, Jerome Richardson, Romeo Penque – flute, alto flute, clarinet
  • Danny Bank – alto flute, bass flute, bass clarinet
  • Paul Chambers – bass
  • Philly Joe Jones – drums
  • Jimmy Cobb – drums
  • Gil Evans – arrangements, conductor
  • Frank Laico – recording
  • Roy DeCarava – photography

Track listing:

All tracks by George Gershwin, except where noted.

  1. Buzzard Song
  2. Bess, You Is My Woman Now
  3. Gone – Gil Evans
  4. Gone, Gone, Gone
  5. Summertime
  6. Oh Bess, Oh Where’s My Bess
  7. Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus)
  8. Fisherman, Strawberry and Devil Crab
  9. My Man’s Gone Now
  10. It Ain’t Necessarily So
  11. Here Come de Honey Man
  12. I Wants to Stay Here (a.k.a. I Loves You, Porgy)
  13. There’s a Boat That’s Leaving Soon for New York

Charles Mingus: Pre-Bird

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SONY DSC

In September 1961, “Mercury” label released “Pre-Bird”, the 18th Charles Mingus album. It was recorded in May 1960, and was produced by Leonard Feather.

Personnel:

  • Charles Mingus – bass
  • Paul Bley – piano
  • Roland Hanna – piano
  • Gunther Schuller – conductor
  • Marcus Belgrave – trumpet
  • Ted Curson – trumpet
  • Clark Terry – trumpet
  • Hobart Dotson – trumpet
  • Richard Williams – trumpet
  • Robert Di Domenica – flute
  • Eric Dolphy – alto saxophone, flute
  • Booker Ervin – saxophone
  • Yusuf Lateef – saxophone, flute
  • John LaPorta – saxophone
  • Danny Bank – saxophone
  • Bill Barron – saxophone
  • Joe Farrell – saxophone
  • Eddie Bert – trombone
  • Slide Hampton – trombone
  • Jimmy Knepper – trombone
  • Charles “Majeed” Greenlee – trombone
  • George Scott – drums
  • Dannie Richmond – drums
  • Sticks Evans – drums
  • Max Roach – drums
  • Lorraine Cusson – vocals

Track listing:

All tracks by Charles Mingus, except where noted.

  1. Take the “A” Train – Billy Strayhorn / Exactly Like You – Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields
  2. Prayer For Passive Resistance
  3. Eclipse
  4. Mingus Fingus No. 2
  5. Weird Nightmare
  6. Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me – Duke Ellington, Bob Russell / I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart – Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Henry Nemo, John Redmond
  7. Bemoanable Lady
  8. Half-Mast Inhibition

Dizzy Gillespie: Gillespiana

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In December 1960, “Verve” label released “Gillespiana”, the 32nd Dizzy Gillespie album. It was recorded in November 1960, in New York City, and was produced by Norman Granz.

Personnel:

  • Dizzy Gillespie, John Frosk, Ernie Royal, Clark Terry, Joe Wilder – trumpet
  • Urbie Green, Frank Rehak, Britt Woodman – trombone
  • Paul Faulise – bass trombone
  • Jim Buffington, William Lister, Al Richman, Gunther Schuller, Morris Secon, Julius Watkins – French horn
  • Don Butterfield – tuba
  • Leo Wright – alto saxophone, flute
  • Lalo Schifrin – piano, arranger
  • Willie Rodriguez – timpani
  • Art Davis – bass
  • Chuck Lampkin – drums
  • Candido Camero – conga
  • Jack Del Rio – bongos

Track listing:

All tracks by Lalo Schifrin

  1. Prelude
  2. Blues
  3. Panamericana
  4. Africana
  5. Toccata

Joe Lovano Ensemble: Streams of Expression

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On August 1, 2006, “Blue Note” label released “Streams of Expression”, the 20th Joe Lovano studio album. It was recorded in December 2005, at “Avatar Studios” in New York City, and was produced by Joe Lovano.

Personnel:

  • Joe Lovano – alto clarinet, tenor saxophone
  • John Hicks – piano
  • James Weidman – piano
  • Dennis Irwin – bass
  • Lewis Nash – drums
  • Larry Farrell – trombone
  • Steve Slagel – flute, alto and soprano saxophone
  • Gary Smulyan – baritone saxophone
  • Ralph Lalama – clarinet, tenor saxophone
  • George Garzone – tenor saxophone
  • Tim Hagans – trumpet
  • Barry Ries – trumpet
  • Michael Parloff – flute
  • Charles Russo – clarinet, bass clarinet
  • Gunther Schuller – conductor

Track listing:

All tracks by Joe Lovano.

  1. Streams of Expression: Streams, Pt. 1
  2. Streams of Expression: Cool, Pt. 2
  3. The Birth of the Cool Suite: Prelude/Moon Dreams
  4. The Birth of the Cool Suite: Interlude No. 1/Move/Interlude No. 2
  5. The Birth of the Cool Suite: Boplicity/Postlude
  6. Blue Sketches
  7. Buckeyes
  8. Streams of Expression: Enchantment, Pt. 3
  9. Streams of Expression: Second Nature, Pt. 4
  10. Streams of Expression: The Fire Prophets, Pt. 5
  11. Big Ben

John Lewis

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On March 29, 2001, John Aaron Lewis died aged 80. He was musician  (piano), composer and arranger, best known as the founder and musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Lewis recorded and performed with number of musicians, including Bill Perkins, Jim Hall, Percy Heath, Chico Hamilton, Sacha Distel,  Gunther Schuller, Svend Asmussen, Albert Mangelsdorff, Helen Merrill, Christian Escoudé,  Hank Jones,  Lew Tabackin, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis Nonet, Harold Farberman, Clifford Brown, Ruth Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson, Joe Newman, Sonny Stitt and J. J. Johnson.