Tag Archives: Leonard Feather

Jean-Lyc Ponty: King Kong: Jean-Lyc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa

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On May 25, 1970, “World Pacific” and “Liberty” labels released “King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa”, the sixth Jean-Luc Ponty album. It was recorded in October 1969, at “Whitney Studios” in Glendale, California, and was produced by Richard Bock. 

Personnel:

  • Jean-Luc Ponty – electric violin, baritone violectra
  • Frank Zappa – electric guitar, arrangements, conductor
  • George Duke – acoustic and electric piano
  • Buell Neidlinger – double bass 
  • Wilton Felder – Fender Precision electric bass 
  • John Guerin – drums 
  • Arthur Dyer Tripp III – drums 
  • Gene Estes – vibraphone, percussion
  • Ernie Watts – alto and tenor saxophone
  • Ian Underwood – tenor saxophone, orchestra conductor
  • Gene Cipriano – oboe, English horn
  • Arthur Maebe – French horn, tuba 
  • Vincent DeRosa – descant recorder, French horn, descant 
  • Jonathan Meyer – flute
  • Donald Christlieb – bassoon
  • Milton Thomas – viola
  • Harold Bemko – cello
  • Gerald Wilson – conductor
  • Ian Underwood – conductor
  • Dick Kunc – engineer
  • Ron Wolin – art direction, design
  • Leonard Feather – liner notes

Track listing:

All tracks by Frank Zappa, except where noted.

  1. King Kong
  2. Idiot Bastard Son
  3. Twenty Small Cigars
  4. How Would You Like to Have a Head Like That – Jean-Luc Ponty
  5. Music for Electric Violin and Low-Budget Orchestra
  6. America Drinks and Goes Home
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Louis Armstrong: Concert at the Crescendo Vol. 1

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On January 21, 1955, “Decca” label released “Concert at the Crescendo Vol. 1”,the seventh Louis Armstrong album. It was recorded in 1954, at “Crescendo Club” in Hollywood.

Personnel:      

  • Louis Armstrong – vocals, trumpet
  • Velma Middleton – vocals
  • Barmey Bigard – clarinet
  • Trummy Young – trombone
  • Billy Kyle – piano
  • Arvell Shaw – double bass
  • Barrett Deems – drums
  • Leonard Feather – liner notes

Track listing:

  1. When It’s Sleepy Time Down South – Clarence Muse, Leon Rene, Otis Rene
  2. Jeeper Creepers – Harry Warren
  3. Tin Roof Blues – Paul Mares, Ben Pollack, Mel Stitzel, George Brunies, Leon Roppolo
  4. My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It – Clarence Williams
  5. Rose Room – Art Hickman
  6. Brother Bill – Louis Armstrong, Bill Cosby
  7. Lazy River – Hoagy Carmichael, Sidney Arodin
  8. T’ain’t What You Do – Melvin “Sy” Oliver, James “Trummy” Young
  9. Perdido – Juan Tizol
  10. Blues for Bass
  11. Don’t Fence Me In – Cole Porter
  12. Stompin’ at the Savoy – Edgar Sampson

The Three Sounds: Vibrations

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In January 1967, “Blue Note” label released “Vibrations”, the 25th Three Sounds (The) album. It was recorded in October 1966, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Personnel:

  • Gene Harris – piano, organ
  • Andrew Simpkins – bass
  • Kalil Madi – drums
  • Rudy Van Gelder – recording
  • Reid Miles – design, photography
  • Leonard Feather – liner notes

Track listing:

  1. The Frown – Gene Harris
  2. Fever – Eddie Cooley, Otis Blackwell
  3. Let’s Go Get Stoned – Joey Armstead, Nicholas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
  4. Something You Got – Chris Kenner
  5. Yeh Yeh – Rogers Grant, Pat Patrick
  6. It Was a Very Good Year – Ervin Drake
  7. The Lamp Is Low – Peter de Rose, Bert Shefter
  8. Yours Is My Heart Alone – Ludwig Herzer, Franz Lehár, Fritz Löhner-Beda
  9. Django – John Lewis
  10. Charade – Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer

Jackie McLean: Damon’s Dance

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In October 1970, “Blue Note” label released “Demon’s Dance”, the 38th Jackie McLean album. It was recorded in December 1967, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Francis Wollf.

Personnel:

  • Jackie McLean – alto saxophone
  • Woody Shaw – trumpet, flugelhorn
  • LaMont Johnson – piano
  • Scotty Holt – bass
  • Jack DeJohnette – drums
  • Rudy Van Gelder – recording
  • Mati Klarwein – artwork
  • Bob Venosa – design
  • Leonard Feather – liner notes

Track listing:

All tracks by Jackie McLean, except where noted.

  1. Demon’s Dance
  2. Toyland – Cal Massey
  3. Boo Ann’s Grand – Woody Shaw
  4. Sweet Love of Mine – Woody Shaw
  5. Floogeh
  6. Message From Trane – Cal Massey

Jimmy Smith: Open House

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In January 1968, “Blue Note” label released “Open House”, the 45th Jimmy Smith album. It was recorded in March 1960, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, and was produced by Alfred Lion.

Personnel:

  • Jimmy Smith – organ
  • Quentin Warren – guitar
  • Donald Bailey – drums
  • Blue Mitchell – trumpet
  • Jackie McLean – alto saxophone
  • Ike Quebec – tenor saxophone
  • Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
  • Reid Miles – design
  • Francis Wolff – photography
  • Leonard Feather – liner notes

Track listing:

  1. Open House – Jimmy Smith
  2. Old Folks – Willard Robison, Dedette Lee Hill
  3. Sista Rebecca – Jimmy Smith
  4. Embraceable You – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin

Charles Mingus: Pre-Bird

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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

In December 1952.

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In December 1952, “Blue Note” label released “New Faces New Sounds (Introducing the Horace Silver Trio)”, the debut Horace Silver album. It was recorded in October 1952, at “WOR Studios” in New York City.

Personnel:

  • Horace Silver – piano
  • Art Blakey– drums
  • Curly Russell– bass
  • Gene Ramey– bass
  • Leonard Feather– liner note
  • John Hermansader – cover

Track listing:

  1. Safari – Horace Silver
  2. Ecaroh – Horace Silver
  3. Prelude to a Kiss – Duke Ellington, Irving Gordon, Irving Mills
  4. Thou Swell – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
  5. Quicksilver – Horace Silver
  6. Horoscope – Horace Silver
  7. Yeah – Horace Silver
  8. Knowledge Box – Horace Silver

 

Billie Holiday

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On July 17, 1959, Eleonora Fagan aka Billie Holiday, died aged 44. Nicknamed “Lady Day” by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday is one of the true jazz icons and one of the most influential singers of all time.  Famous jazz critics Leonard Feather, said about her: “Billie Holiday’s voice was the living intensity of soul in the true sense of that greatly abused word. As a human being, she was sweet, sour, kind, mean, generous, profane, lovable and impossible, and nobody who knew her expects to see anyone quite like her again.”