Tag Archives: Stairway to the Stars

Henry Mancini: Uniquely Mancini: The Big Band Sound Of Henry Mancini

On June 4, 1963, “RCA Victor” label released “Uniquely Mancini: The Big Band Sound of Henry Mancini”, album by Henry Mancini and His Orchestra. It was recorded in 1963, at “RCA Victor’s Music Center of the World”, and was produced by Joe Reisman.

Personnel:

  • Conrad Gozzo (lead), Frank Beach, Ray Triscari, Pete Candoli (soloist), Conte Candoli (soloist), Don Fagerquist (flugelhorn soloist) – trumpet
  • Dick Nash (soloist), Jimmy Priddy, John Halliburton, George Roberts (bass trombone) – trombone
  • Vincent DeRosa (soloist), Richard Perissi, John Cave, Art Maebe – French horn
  • Ted Nash (alto saxophone and alto flute solo), Ronny Lang (alto flute soloist), Harry Klee, Gene Cipriano, Plas Johnson (tenor saxophone soloist) – woodwind
  • Bob Bain – guitar
  • Larry Bunker – vibraphone, marimba
  • Rolly Bundock – bass
  • Jack Sperling – drums
  • Bobby Helfer – orchestra manager

Track listing:

  1. Green Onions – Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Al Jackson Jr., Lewie Steinberg
  2. Stairway to the Stars – Mitchell Parish, Matty Malneck, Frank Signorelli
  3. Night Train – Oscar Washington, Lewis Simpkins, Jimmy Forrest
  4. Lullaby of Birdland – George Shearing, B.Y. Forster
  5. Chelsea Bridge – Billy Strayhorn
  6. C Jam Blues – Duke Ellington
  7. Banzai Pipeline – Henry Mancini
  8. Rhapsody in Blue – George Gershwin
  9. Cheers! – Henry Mancini
  10. Lonesome – Henry Mancini
  11. The Hot Canary – Paul Nero
  12. Moonlight Serenade – Mitchell Parish, Glenn Miller

Sarah Vaughn: At Mister Kelly’s

In February 1958, “EmArcy” label released “At Mister Kelly’s”, the first Sarah Vaughan live album. It was recorded in August 1947, at “Mister Kelly’s” club in Chicago, and was produced by Bob Shad.

Personnel:

  • Sarah Vaughan – vocals
  • Jimmy Jones – piano
  • Richard Davis – double bass
  • Roy Haynes – drums

Track listing:

  1. September in the Rain – Al Dubin, Harry Warren
  2. Willow Weep for Me – Ann Ronell
  3. Just One of Those Things – Cole Porter
  4. Be Anything (But Be Mine) – Irving Gordon
  5. Thou Swell – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
  6. Stairway to the Stars – Matty Malneck, Mitchell Parish, Frank Signorelli
  7. Honeysuckle Rose – Andy Razaf, Fats Waller
  8. Just a Gigolo – Julius Brammer, Irving Caesar, Leonello Casucci
  9. How High the Moon – Nancy Hamilton, Morgan Lewis
  10. Dream – Johnny Mercer
  11. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down (And Write Myself a Letter) – Fred E. Ahlert, Joe Young
  12. It’s Got to Be Love – Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart
  13. Alone – Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed
  14. If This Isn’t Love – Yip Harburg, Burton Lane
  15. Embraceable You – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
  16. Lucky in Love – Lew Brown, Buddy DeSylva, Ray Henderson
  17. Dancing in the Dark – Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz
  18. Poor Butterfly – John Golden, Raymond Hubbell
  19. Sometimes I’m Happy – Irving Caesar, Vincent Youmans
  20. I Cover the Waterfront – Johnny Green, Edward Heyman

Dexter Gordon: Our Man In Paris

In December 1963, “Blue Note” label released “Our Man in Paris”, the 20th Dexter Gordon album. It was recorded in May 1963, at “CBS Studios” in Paris, France, and was produced by Francis Wolff.

Personnel:

  • Dexter Gordon – tenor saxophone 
  • Bud Powell – piano
  • Pierre Michelot – bass
  • Kenny Clarke – drums
  • Claude Ermelin – recording
  • Reid Miles – design
  • Francis Wolff – cover photography

Track listing:

  1. Scrapple from the Apple – Charlie Parker
  2. Willow Weep for Me – Ann Ronell
  3. Broadway – Billy Bird, Teddy McRae, Henri Woode
  4. Stairway to the Stars – Matty Malneck, Mitchell Parish, Frank Signorelli
  5. A Night in Tunisia – Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli

Phineas Newborn Jr.: Phineas Rainbow

In February 1957, “RCA Victor” label released “Phineas’ Rainbow”, the second Phineas Newborn Jr. studio album. It was recorded in October 1956 in New York City.

Personnel:

  • Phineas Newborn Jr. – piano
  • Calvin Newborn – guitar
  • George Joyner – bass
  • Philly Joe Jones – drums
  • Bill Coss – liner notes

Track listing:

All tracks by Phineas Newborn Jr. except where noted.

  1. Overtime
  2. Angel Eyes – Earl Brent, Matt Dennis
  3. Come to Baby, Do! – Inez James, Sidney Miller
  4. Stairway to the Stars – Matty Malneck, Mitchell Parish, Frank Signorelli
  5. Land’s End – Harold Land
  6. Clarisse
  7. She (She Means Everything to Me) – George Shearing
  8. Tin Tin Deo – Gil Fuller, Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo
  9. Autumn in New York – Vernon Duke
  10. What Is This Thing Called Love? – Cole Porter

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

The Bill Evans Trio: Moon Beams

In December 1962, “Riverside” label released “Moon Beams”, the twelve Bill Evans album. It was recorded May – June 1962, at “Sound Makers Studio” in New York City, and was produced by Orrin Keepnews.

Personnel:

  • Bill Evans- piano
  • Chuck Israels- bass
  • Paul Motian- drums

Track listing:

  1. Re: Person I Knew – Bill Evans
  2. Polka Dots and Moonbeams – Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen
  3. I Fall in Love Too Easily – Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne
  4. Stairway to the Stars – Matty Malneck, Mitchell Parish
  5. If You Could See Me Now – Tadd Dameron
  6. It Might as Well Be Spring – Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
  7. In Love in Vain – Leo Robin, Jerome Kern
  8. Very Early – Bill Evans

Blue Öyster Cult: Same

Blue_Oyster_Cult

On January 16, 1972, “Columbia” label released the self titled, debut Blue Öyster Cult album.  It was recorded July – October 1971, at the “The Warehouse” and “CBS Studios” in New York, and was produced by  Murray Krugman, Sandy Pearlman and David Lucas.

Personnel:

  • Eric Bloom– lead vocals, stun guitar, keyboards
  • Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser– lead vocals, lead guitar
  • Allen Lanier– rhythm guitar, keyboards
  • Joe Bouchard– lead vocals, bass
  • Albert Bouchard– lead vocals, drums

Track listing:

  1. Transmaniacon MC – Sandy Pearlman, Albert Bouchard, Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, Eric Bloom
  2. I’m on the Lamb but I Ain’t No Sheep – Sandy Pearlman, Albert Bouchard
  3. Then Came the Last Days of May – Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser
  4. Stairway to the Stars – Richard Meltzer, Albert Bouchard, Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser
  5. Before the Kiss, a Redcap – Allen Lanier, Sandy Pearlman, Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser
  6. Screams – Joe Bouchard
  7. She’s as Beautiful as a Foot – Richard Meltzer, Allen Bouchard, Allen Lanier
  8. Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll – Sandy Pearlman, Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, Allen Bouchard
  9. Workshop of the Telescopes – Sandy Pearlman, Allen Bouchard, Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, Allen Lanier, Albert.Bouchard, Eric Bloom
  10. Redeemed – Sandy Pearlman, Harry Farcas, Albert Bouchard, Allen Lanier