Bob Keene: 1951-'52 Sessions

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

As part of my continuing series on big band recordings from the '50s that may have escaped your radar, let me hip you to Bob Keene's Dancing on the Ceiling. Originally issued as a series of singles in 1951 and '52, the LP on Los Angeles' Whippet label featured clarinetist Bob Keene, who was 29 at the time. What makes these recordings so special, in addition to Keene's clean solo playing, were the spectacular musicians assembled for the different sessions and the sterling arrangers used. [Photo above of Bob Keene by Ray Avery/CTSImages]

The tracks (and arrangers) recorded in 1951 include...

• It Ain't Necessarily So (arr. Johnny Thompson)
• It's Easy to Remember (arr. Paul Villepigue)
• Dancing Tambourine (arr. Paul Villepigue)
• Jug Stop (arr. Shorty Rogers)
  
• Flying Home (arr. Gene Roland)
  
• Begin the Beguine (arr. Nelson Riddle)
• Boogie for a Nickel (arr. Gene Roland)
• Mimi (arr. Billy May)
• Isn't It Romantic (arr. Billy May)

 The tracks (and arrangers) recorded in 1952 include...

• Dancing on the Ceiling (arr. Billy May)
• The Lady Is a Tramp (arr. Billy May)
• They Didn't Believe Me (arr. Bill Holman)

So who recorded in the studio? Here are the musicians on the 1952 session...

John Best, Frank Beach, Maynard Ferguson, Conrad Gozzo (tp) Harry Betts, Milt Bernhart, Si Zentner, Tommy Pederson (tb) Bob Keene (cl) Wilbur Schwartz (as) Charlie Deremoe, Fred Fallensby (ts) Bob Dawes, Chuck Gentry (bar) Arnold Ross (p) Al Hendrickson (g) Joe Mondragon (b) Alvin Stoller (d). [Photos above by Ray Avery/CTSImages]

Pretty swinging bunch, some of whom were looking to break free from the bands they were in. Other session players from the earlier Keene dates included Bill Holman Paul Smith, Chico Alvarez, Ziggy Elmer and Milt Bernhart. The thing about these arrangements is they grow on you fast. There's a Claude Thornhill-Elliot Lawrence feel about them—tender on some and wildly hungry on others.

Who was Bob Keene? (He changed the spelling of his name often.) He was a clarinetist on the receiving end of several lucky breaks in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Later in the decade he would help start the Keen record label (Sam Cooke's You Send Me was released on Keen) and Del-Fi Records, and he was Ritchie Valens' producer and manager. But Keene suffered two incredible setbacks—being tricked out of millions in revenue by a shady partner and Valens' tragic death in 1959. Yet Keene still managed to bounce back. He died in 2009. More here.

I probably listened to this album more than 20 times in succession last week and each time I heard something new. In addition, I actually looked forward to hearing each and every track. The music is West Coast jazz on the verge. The sound has a hip, hard swinging feel but you can hear a new sound pushing through. This is a jumping, rip-roaring recording that documents an age about to happen. [Album cover above by Ray Avery/CTSImages]

JazzWax tracks: Bob Keene's album Dancing on the Ceiling appears in several formats. You'll find it here (CD), here (download) and here (vinyl).

A special JazzWax thanks to reader Stuart Yasaki and Jordi Pujol of Fresh Sound Records.

JazzWax clips: Here are three great arrangements played by one of the finest West Coast bands of the period...

Jug Stop

The Lady Is a Tramp

They Didn't Believe Me

Two other hidden '50s knockouts...

• Ted McNabb & Co.—you'll find it here.
• Bill Hitz: This Swingin' Age

Still have the big band bug? For my 20 favorite band albums of 1958, go here and here.

- See more at: http://www.jazzwax.com/2013/10/bob-keene-1951-1952.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Jazzwax+%28JazzWax%29#sthash.WipiUrMc.dpuf

Used with permission by Marc Myers

Learning from the masters

By Tony Sauro
Record Staff Writer
November 21, 2013 12:00 AM

Jim Snidero's voluminous writings - and his fundamental jazz mantra - are based on mastering the masters.

Guys like Frank Sinatra.

"It's, you know, to learn from the past," said Snidero, a New York City-based saxophone player who's published three 11-volume series of instructive book-CDs and toured for five years as a member of Sinatra's band. "Learn from the masters. Complete immersion in the masters, so you have the tools to become yourself. Master the music, material and styles."

Snidero has been passing that message along to students this week during a residency at University of the Pacific. Two of them get a live lesson tonight, performing in a quartet with Snidero at Stockton's Take 5 Jazz at the Brew.

"I saw the need," said Snidero, 55, who prepared and published his extensive guides - adaptable for 45 instruments - between 1996 and 2003. "I've lived in New York for 33 years and I had a very good idea what it should sound like. I didn't think there was a manual that taught authentic jazz sounds.

"It's all based on the music of the masters," he said, among whom Snidero - an alto saxophone specialist - includes Phil Woods, his early mentor, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis.

Of course, Sinatra (1915-98) was a venerated 20th-century vocal crooner. Not a jazzman. However, he could "swing" and a lot of masterful musicians - with well-honed jazz chops - kept his bands jumping.

Snidero did that from 1991 to 1995, playing on Sinatra's "Duets II" album (1994).

"I mean, it's extraordinary," Snidero said Monday, while traveling from Sacramento to Stockton. "You're around a genius and you see how he brings that to bear every night on the music at the very highest level of human expression. If you let yourself absorb that, you can learn a lot.

"There are a number of things that are equally important: immersion in the moment, details of expression, musicality and sensitivity. It was an exceptional group. It always sounded good. I never heard any complaints. One of my (career) highlights was being with Sinatra for five years."

Not hanging out with him, though: "You don't talk to Frank. He talks to you. You lay low and play the gig."

Learning all the way, of course.

That's what Snidero - who was born in Redwood City when his dad was a student at Stanford University - equips young musicians with at New York's New School University. As an adjunct instructor, he teaches courses in jazz and contemporary music.

Read more: http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131121/A_ENTERTAIN/311210302/-1/rss03

Interview: Tony Bennett

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

Two weeks ago I spent a couple of hours with Tony Bennett at home and in his art studio. First we talked in the living room of his spacious apartment overlooking Central Park and then we moved to his studio a couple of buildings away. Interestingly, his apartment is way above the park's tree line while his studio is on a much lower floor. Tony said he bought the studio space in 2004 to paint closer to street life, allowing him to look out the windows and see traffic jams and people walking around. In today's Wall Street Journal (go here or please buy the paper), I interview Tony on his studio and why art means so much to him. It starts on page 1 of the Mansion section. [Photo above of Tony Bennett in his art studio by Brad Trent for The Wall Street Journal]

Most people aren't aware that Tony was a painter before he was a singer—or that he almost became a painter instead of a singer. We have a high school teacher in New York to thank for making sure Tony didn't scrap the mike for brushes. Tony also talks about how his painting—and sculpting—are related to the choices he makes when he sings. Tony also opens up about his passion for art and how he maintains his painting skills on the road. [Photo above of Tony Bennett, Duke Ellington and singer Al Hibbler in the 1960s]

JazzWax tracks: You'll find Tony Bennett's latest release, Live at the Sahara: Las Vegas 1964 (Sony), here. His entire catalog is available at iTunes.

JazzWax clip: Here's one of my all-time favorite Tony Bennett recordings—End of a Love Affair, from The Good Things in Life (1972)...

- See more at: http://www.jazzwax.com/2013/10/interview-tony-bennett.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Jazzwax+%28JazzWax%29#sthash.bPABySga.dpuf

Used with permission by Marc Myers

Music And Exclusive Interviews With Alexander Gershman Of Sasha's Bloc And Chanteuse Lyn Stanley

Radio/Podcast News, Published: 2013-11-18
The latest edition of Jazzed and Blue: Profiles in Blues and Jazz is now available for download at Rockwired.com and features music and exclusive interviews with Alexander Gershman of Sasha's Bloc and songstress Lyn Stanley." It's exciting to have this podcast in it's 90 minute glory!" exclaims Jazzed and Blue host Brian Lush “This latest edition of the show embodies the sound and artistic excellence that we here at Rockwired want people to associate with our jazz program and upcoming magazine."

It was the jazz culture of the 1930's that made the economic hardship of that decade bearable. Everywhere you look these days is news of partisanship, shootings and economic uncertainty and the jazz culture that saw us through the first Great Depression is no more. With the sophomore album Melancholy, Sasha's Bloc celebrates exuberance in the face of hardship that typified the music of that day. Fronted by Russian-born bassist Alexander Gershman, Sasha's Bloc is an eclectic mix of musicians focused on revitalizing the music of that era and the album Melancholy gives the band nine original tunes to sink their chops into.
Read more: http://news.allaboutjazz.com/news.php?id=107121#.Uo82dJGQf8k

Vocalist Shirley Crabbe Shares Her CD “Home”

New York, New York (PRWEB) November 19, 2013
Shirley Crabbe’s debut album “Home” announces the arrival of a major new artist who invests love and conviction in every note as someone deeply grateful to be pursuing her calling. Being given a ‘second chance’ at her first love after a bout with surgery on her vocal chords she considers herself blessed receiving a series of awards that placed her in the top five at the 2010 Jazz Mobile “Best of The Best” vocal competition.

“I love the American Songbook,” Crabbe says. “It’s so hard to find things that everybody hasn’t done already, but there are treasures out there if you look beyond the usual jazz sources.” Possessing a voice as rich and plush as any singer on the scene concentrating on rendering each melody with precision and care adding some skilled ‘scat lines’ in her performances.

Crabbe casts a wide net when it comes to undiscovered treasures. From the album’s title track “The Wi” to McCoy Tyner’s “You Taught My Heart to Sing,” and Roland Hanna’s “Seasons,” a tune he wrote for Sarah Vaughan’s classic 1982 album “Crazy And Mixed Up.” Turning Carole King’s “So Far Away” into an ache-filled lament while making Stephen Sondheim’s “Not While I’m Around” a tender jazz interpretation that would be chilling in its original “Sweeny Todd” context. She isn’t afraid to tackle some well-worn standards. She effortlessly navigates trombonist Matt Haviland’s brisk and sassy arrangement of “Detour Ahead,” while transforming the lullaby “Summertime” into a rousing, wake-the-baby West African polyrhythmic celebration.

While “I always feel I’m just a singer that likes to sing jazz, more than a jazz vocalist,” Crabbe says. “I love singing classical music, when my whole body is resonating. Intellectually I love it, but with jazz I just feel like I’m free. I can rely on some technique, but I can forget it too, so it’s more about color, flexibility and musical ideas.”

“The Jazz Network Worldwide is happy to feature Shirley’s artistry to the jazz community and beyond. You can feel her musicality, her style is clearly a strong force honoring the epic stylists of our time yet a unique originality embroiders her delivery in song,” says Jaijai Jackson, creator of The Jazz Network Worldwide social network.

Finding the right accompanists has been an essential part of Crabbe’s creative process. Pianist Donald Vega, Crabbe’s musical director and co-producer on “Home” offered a steady stream of wise musical and career council throughout the project. “He is a generous musician and a great advisor,” Crabbe says. Drummer Alvester Garnett and veteran bassist John Burr provided the sophisticated and sensitive support in the rhythm section in addition to Jim West (piano), Brandon Lee (trumpet), Dave Glasser (flute and saxophone), Matt Haviland (trombone) and special guest Houston Person (tenor saxophone) offering their musical expertise.
Read more: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/11/prweb11342087.htm

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"Swing Makes You Happy!" - The George Gee Swing Orchestra!

The double album Swing Makes You Happy! brings you; Volume 1, The Swing Set, featuring the jazzy swing of signature versions of swingin’ Big Band standards with emphasis on the hot, lindy hop rhythms of Chick Webb and Count Basie; and Volume 2, The Jazz Set, spotlighting the swingin’ jazz arrangements and original compositions of David Gibson, Music director and Trombonist. The lush tones of singers Hilary Gardner and John Dokes are also featured.

“George Gee is no doubt the torchbearer of the Big Band tradition for future generations” – NEA Jazzmaster and Count Basie arranger Frank Foster.

“……...the swingin’est band in the LAND!” – original Savoy dancer and Lindy Hop Legend Frankie Manning.  

    Hi, I’m George Gee and I’m the bandleader of The George Gee Swing Orchestra(“GGSO”) here in New York City. My love and passion for the music was developed growing up here and I take it with me wherever the band travels, spreading the happy Gospel of Swing all over the globe.

    I started the band during college in Pittsburgh over three decades ago, where we were swingin’ before a unique mix of old timers, college students and punk rockers. Since that time we have grown into a signature NYC swing ambassador to listeners and dancers of all ages all around the world. We’ve come a long way baby and with your help we’re ready to make the leap into the future with our double album set (30 tunes) of swingin’ Big Band Jazz!  Read more: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/georgegee/swing-makes-you-happy

Ronnie Scott's Christmas Cabaret Lunches 2013!