Tag Archives: Lou Levy

Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Swings Lightly

In December 1958, “Verve” label released “Ella Swings Lightly”, album by Ella Fitzgerald. It was recorded in November 1958, at “Radio Recorders” in Hollywood, and was produced by Norman Granz. This album won Ella Fitzgerald the 1960 Grammy award for the Best Improvised Jazz Solo.

Personnel:

  • Ella Fitzgerald – vocal
  • Marty Paich’s Dek-Tette: Bud Shank – alto saxophone 
  • Bill Holman – tenor saxophone
  • Med Flory – baritone saxophone 
  • Don Fagerquist, Al Porcino – trumpet
  • Bob Enevoldsen – valve trombone, tenor saxophone 
  • Vincent DeRosa – French horn
  • Lou Levy  – piano
  • Joe Mondragon – bass 
  • Mel Lewis – drums 

Track listing:

  1. Little White Lies – Walter Donaldson
  2. You Hit the Spot – Mack Gordon, Harry Revel
  3. What’s Your Story, Morning Glory? – Jack Lawrence, Paul Francis Webster, Mary Lou Williams
  4. Just You, Just Me – Jesse Greer, Raymond Klages
  5. As Long as I Live – Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
  6. Teardrops from My Eyes – Rudy Toombs
  7. Gotta Be This or That – Sunny Skylar
  8. Moonlight on the Ganges – Sherman Myers, Chester Wallace
  9. My Kinda Love – Louis Alter, Jo Trent
  10. Blues in the Night – Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
  11. If I Were a Bell – Frank Loesser
  12. You’re an Old Smoothie – Nacio Herb Brown, Buddy DeSylva, Richard A. Whiting
  13. Little Jazz – Roy Eldridge, Buster Harding
  14. You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me – Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal, Peter Norman
  15. Knock Me a Kiss – Mike Jackson
  16. 720 in the Books – Harold Adamson, Jan Savitt, Leo Watson

Conte Candoli and Lou Levy: West Coast Wailers

In February 1958, “Atlantic” label released “West Coast Wailers”, album Conte Candoli and Lou Levy. It was recorded in August 1955, in Los Angeles, and was produced by Ahmet Ertegun.

Personnel:

  • Conte Candoli – trumpet
  • Lou Levy – piano
  • Bill Holman – tenor saxophone
  • Leroy Vinnegar – bass
  • Lawrence Marable – drums

Track listing:

  1. Lover, Come Back to Me – Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II
  2. Comes Love – Sam H. Stept, Lew Brown, Charles Tobias
  3. Lover Man – Jimmy Davis, Ram Ramirez, James Sherman
  4. Pete’s Alibi – Pete Candoli
  5. Cheremoya – Bill Holman
  6. Jordu – Duke Jordan
  7. Flamingo – Ted Grouya, Edmund Anderson
  8. Marcia Lee – Conte Candoli

Quincy Jones: Go West, Man!

On October 17, 1957, ”ABC” label released “Go West, Man!”, the second Quincy Jones studio album. It was recorded in February 1957, in Los Angeles, and was produced by Quincy Jones.

Personnel:

  • Quincy Jones – conductor
  • Benny Carter – alto saxophone
  • Herb Geller – alto saxophone
  • Charlie Mariano – alto saxophone
  • Art Pepper – alto saxophone
  • Pepper Adams – baritone saxophone
  • Walter Benton – tenor saxophone
  • Buddy Collette – tenor saxophone
  • Bill Perkins – tenor saxophone
  • Conte Candoli – trumpet
  • Pete Candoli – trumpet
  • Harry Edison – trumpet
  • Jack Sheldon – trumpet
  • Lou Levy – piano
  • Carl Perkins – piano
  • Red Mitchell – bass
  • Leroy Vinnegar – bass
  • Shelly Manne – drums
  • Mel Lewis – drums

Track listing:

  1. Dancin’ Pants – Jimmy Giuffre
  2. Blues Day – Jimmy Giuffre
  3. Bright Moon – Jimmy Giuffre
  4. No Bones at All – Johnny Mandel
  5. The Oom Is Blues – Charlie Mariano
  6. Be My Guest – Lennie Niehaus
  7. Medley: What’s New? – Bob Haggart, Johnny Burke / We’ll Be Together Again – Carl Fischer, Frankie Laine / Time on My Hands – Vincent Youmans / You Go to My Head – J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie / Laura – David Raksin / Johnny Mercer
  8. London Derriere – Johnny Mandel
  9. Kings Road Blues – Lennie Niehaus

Shorty Rogers: Martians Come Back!

In August 1956, “Atlantic” label released “Martians Come Back!”, the eleventh Shorty Rogers album. It was recorded October – December 1955, in Los Angeles, and was produced by Nesuhi Ertegun.

Personnel:

  • Shorty Rogers – trumpet, flugelhorn
  • Bud Shank – alto saxophone
  • Conte Candoli, Pete Candoli, Harry Edison, Don Fagerquist – trumpet
  • Bob Enevoldsen – valve trombone
  • John Graas – French horn
  • Paul Sarmento – tuba
  • Jimmy Giuffre – clarinet
  • Barney Kessel – guitar
  • Pete Jolly, Lou Levy – piano
  • Ralph Peña, Leroy Vinnegar – bass
  • Shelly Manne – drums

Track listing:

All tracks by Shorty Rogers, except where noted.

  1. Martians Come Back
  2. Astral Alley
  3. Lotus Bud
  4. Dickie’s Dream – Count Basie, Lester Young
  5. Papouche
  6. Serenade in Sweets
  7. Planetarium
  8. Chant of the Cosmos

Dee Dee Bridgewater: Dear Ella

On September 30, 1997, “Verve” label released “Dear Ella”, the eleventh Dee Dee Bridgewater studio album. It was recorded January – February 1997.  At the 40th Grammy Awards, the album won Bridgewater the “Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album” and Slide Hampton the “Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist”, for the arrangement of “Cotton Tail”.

Personnel:

  • Dee Dee Bridgewater– vocals
  • Cecil Bridgewater– trumpet, arranger, conductor
  • Antonio Hart– alto saxophone, soloist
  • Jeff Clayton– alto saxophone
  • Teodross Avery– tenor saxophone
  • Bill Easley– tenor saxophone
  • Patience Higgins – baritone saxophone
  • Virgil Jones – trumpet, horn, soloist
  • Byron Stripling– trumpet
  • Ron Tooley – trumpet
  • Diego Urcola – trumpet
  • Slide Hampton– trombone, arranger, conductor
  • Clarence Banks – trombone, horn, soloist
  • Benny Powell– trombone
  • Robert Trowers– trombone
  • Douglas Purviance– bass trombone
  • Robert Lloyd – horn
  • Anderson – tuba
  • Taylor – flute
  • Jowitt – clarinet
  • Wallbank – bass clarinet
  • J. Morgan – oboe
  • Lou Levy– piano, arranger
  • Milt Jackson– vibraphone
  • Kenny Burrell– guitar, arranger
  • Ray Brown– double bass
  • Grady Tate– drums
  • André Ceccarelli– drums
  • Hakin – percussion
  • Boguslaw Kostecki, A. Noland, T. Williams, R. Wilson – violin
  • Graham and G. Jackson – viola
  • Peter Willison – cello
  • John Clayton – big band arranger, conductor
  • Rob Eaton, Keith Grant, Al Schmitt– engineer
  • Peter Doell, Koji Egawa, Brian Garten, Alex Marcou – engineer assistant
  • Jean Luc Barilla – design
  • Philippe Pierangeli – photography

Track listing:

  1. A-Tisket, A-Tasket – Van Alexander, Ella Fitzgerald
  2. Mack the Knife – Marc Blitzstein, Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill
  3. Undecided – Leo Robin, Charlie Shavers
  4. Midnight Sun – Sonny Burke, Lionel Hampton, Johnny Mercer
  5. Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love – Cole Porter
  6. How High the Moon – Morgan Hamilton, Nancy Lewis
  7. (If You Can’t Sing It) You’ll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini) – Sam Coslow
  8. Cotton Tail – Duke Ellington
  9. My Heart Belongs to Daddy – Cole Porter
  10. (I’d Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China – Frank Loesser
  11. Oh, Lady be Good! – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
  12. Stairway to the Stars — Matty Malneck, Mitchell Parish, Frank Signorelli
  13. Dear Ella – Kenny Burrell