Legrand Plays Richard Rodgers

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

In the 1950s, everyone in jazz and pop was sweet on Richard Rodgers. Many of the composer's highly melodic songs were easy to sing and leverage for swinging interpretations. Whether they were written with Lorenz Hart or Oscar Hammerstein II, Rodgers' love songs sounded hip without trying, becoming perfect vessels into which musicians could add their own ingredients. [Photo above of Michel Legrand in 1962]

While there were many small-group and vocal albums of Rodgers' music in the 1950s and '60s, only three big bands recorded instrumental interpretations of his work. Interestingly, all three are drop-dead great. While you surely know Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers, recorded in January 1957, and you may know Les Brown's Richard Rodgers Bandbook, recorded in April 1962 (go here for my post on the Brown album), you probably are unaware of the Michel Legrand Big Band Plays Richard Rodgers. It's completely out of the park.

Recorded over three days for the Philips label in New York in early December 1962. The size and caliber of the personnel on the sessions were staggering.

On My Funny Valentine, Some Enchanted Evening, Getting to Know You and People Will Say We're in Love...

Al Derisi, Ernie Royal, Clark Terry, Snooky Young (tp); Wayne Andre, Willie Dennis, Bill Elton, Urbie Green, John Rains (tb); Dick Lieb, Tom Mitchell (b-tb); Ray Alonge, Dick Berg, Earl Chapin (fhr); Don Butterfield, Harvey Phillips (tu); Phil Woods, George Berg, Tony Castallano, Harold Feldman, Don Hammond, Al Howard, Walt Levinsky, Al Klink, Danny Bank, Sol Schlinger (woodwinds,reeds); Lou Stein (p); Milt Hinton (b); Gary Burton (vib,perc); Bill Costa, Warren Smith (perc) and Michel Legrand (arr,cond) with Billy Byers and Quincy Jones (supervision). [Photo above of Phil Woods]

On It Might as Well Be Spring, There's a Small Hotel, Bali Haiand Falling in Love With Love...

Clark Terry, Al Derisi (tp); Wayne Andre, Bill Elton, Urbie Green, Jack Rains (tb); Tom Mitchell, Dick Lieb (b-tb); Ray Alonge, Dick Berg, Earl Chapin (fhr); Don Butterfield, Harvey Phillips (tu); Rick Henderson, Jerry Dodgion (as); Phil Woods (as,fl,cl); Paul Gonsalves (ts); George Berg, Tony Castallano, Harold Feldman, Don Hammond, Al Howard, Walt Levinsky, Al Klink, Danny Bank, Sol Schlinger (reeds,woodwinds); Hank Jones (p); Milt Hinton (b); Sol Gubin (d), Michel Legrand (arr) and Billy Byers (cond). [Photo above of Clark Terry]

And on Have You Met Miss Jones?, This Can't Be Love and The Lady Is a Tramp...

Clark Terry, Snooky Young, Ernie Royal, Al Derisi (tp); Bob Brookmeyer, Wayne Andre, Bill Elton, Urbie Green, Tom Mitchell (tb); Julius Watkins, Bob Northern, Ray Alonge, Earl Chapin (fhr); Jerry Dodgion (as); Phil Woods (as,fl,cl); Paul Gonsalves (ts); plus 2 other unknown saxes; Tommy Flanagan (p); Milt Hinton (b); Sol Gubin (d); Michel Legrand (arr) and Billy Byers (cond). [Photo above of Paul Gonsalves]

The arrangements are both Gil Evans-delicate in their orchestral tenderness and powerfully swinging in their band attack, akin to the pen of Johnny Richards in places. I have to say that Legrand's approach to Rodgers is easily the more engrossing and addictive of the three band recordings. Charts breathe sensually with dense woodwind complexity and have a wide-body brass feel. There are plenty of curves, and no two arrangements sound alike. [Photo above of Richard Rodgers]

Legrand was at his jazz peak here in between scoring for two films—the black-and-white Lola (1961) and the richly colorful Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), which would put him on the map. His orchestral thinking was astonishing. It's really a shame a label didn't pony up the cash needed to have him take on the songbooks of 10 additional American composers. [Photo above of Michel Legrand in 1962]

JazzWax tracks: Unfortunately, the Michel Legrand Big Band Plays Richard Rodgers isn't available as a download at Amazon. There are used versions of the CD here.

JazzWax clips: Here's The Lady Is a Tramp, with a tenor sax solo on early ballad section by Paul Gonsalves and a piano solo by Tommy Flanagan on the up-tempo second half. Talk about groovy...

And here's There's a Small Hotel. Dig Legrand's pure arranging genius here, blending a range of styles to build the narrative. Listen to this a few times, and pay particular attention to the smart Gil Evans-like layering of instruments, including French horns and tuba topped by flutes and reeds, a celeste and bass clarinet. In short, the works...

There's a Small Hotel

A special thanks to David Langner.

Used with permission by Marc Myers

BLUE NOTE 30th ANNIVERSARY: MICHEL LEGRAND TRIO - 2011 /03 /29

It is difficult to pin the multi-talented Michel Legrand down into one single category. This amazingly versatile French singer, songwriter, composer, arranger, conductor and producer has enjoyed a whirlwind career, excelling in an impressively broad range of domains from film soundtracks and French 'chanson' to jazz and classical music. An international star, who has won as much respect in the States as he has in Europe, Legrand is an insatiable musician whose creativity and ambition appear to know no bounds.

Michel Legrand was born in Bécon-les-Bruyères, in the Paris suburbs, on 24 February 1932. Michel eventually went on to train at the Paris Conservatoire in 1942. He spent seven years there, studying under renowned teachers such as Nadia Boulanger, Henri Challan, Noël Gallon and Lucette Descaves. The young prodigy went on to win numerous awards for his skills in counterpoint, piano, fugue and 'solfège' (an award he received on 6 June 1944).

In the immediate post-war years, Michel Legrand discovered a new passion: jazz. The moment that triggered off this musical conversion was when he attended a concert by Dizzy Gillespie “ and left, totally blown away by what he had seen! 

In 1954, Legrand stepped from the accompanying shadows centre stage when the American record label Columbia-EMI commissioned him to make an album of English adaptations of French classics. The album “I Love Paris” went on to sell a staggering 8 million copies, turning Legrand into an overnight star both at home and abroad. 

In 1958, Legrand headed back across the Atlantic to the States and spent valuable time in New York, directing studio sessions where he mixed with the crème de la crème of the jazz world, working with the likes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and Ben Webster. The album “Legrand Jazz” was a result of this white-hot jazz period.

Legrand had long been familiar with the French 'chanson' world, having accompanied some of its biggest stars when he was a young 20-year-old just starting out in the business. But it was Jacques Brel, a singer for whom Legrand had written arrangements in the 50s, that was to play a decisive role in Legrand's career, for Brel was the one that persuaded him to get up behind the microphone and start performing his own work. 

In 1968, Legrand sat down and wrote the soundtrack to Norman Jewison's swinging 60s film “The Thomas Crown Affair.” The theme tune from the movie, “The Windmills Of Your Mind”, (”Les Moulins de mon c”ur”) which featured French lyrics by Eddy Marnay and English lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman went on to become a huge hit. In fact, Legrand ended up scooping the Oscar for Best Film Theme Song in 1969.

Needless to say, Michel Legrand went on to become a major star in the U.S. Legrand, who was nominated for a Grammy Award no less than 27 times, carried off the prestigious prize five times between 1971 and 1975.

America at that time also meant jazz, of course. And, jazz being one of Legrand's greatest passions in life, he went on to perform several concerts with Ray Brown in 1968 in the famous L.A. club, Shelly's Manne-Hole. The album, “Verve”, was produced as a result of this.

In 1983, his theme tune to Barbra Streisand’s movie “Yentl” won him yet another Oscar. Later that same year, Legrand wrote the score for “Never Say Never Again” (the last James Bond film starring Sean Connery). Meanwhile, he also extended his work to the theatre, writing the music for Jean-Louis Barrault’s play “Jarry sur la butte” (1970) and “Monte Cristo” in 1975. 

In the 80s, Legrand chose to devote his time and energy to jazz, forming a trio with drummer André Ceccarelli and double-bass virtuoso Marc-Michel Le Bévillon.

Following his work as part of a jazz trio, Legrand changed musical format in the 90s, creating a big band which he took on several international tours in subsequent years, accompanying Ray Charles, Diana Ross and Icelandic pop diva Björk. 

In June 2005, Legrand returned to the studio. This time round, it was not to compose his own work, however, but to pay tribute to his late friend and music colleague, the Toulousan singer Claude Nougaro (who died in 2004). The album “Legrand Nougaro” also included reworkings of Nougaro classics such as “Don Juan”, “Le Cinéma” and “Le Rouge et le Noir.” 

Now 78 years old, Legrand continues to perform, compose, and tour at the highest level in a multitude of formats, showing no signs of slowing down.

From: Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St, New York, NY 10012