TromboneChat

I found another favorite thing.

I've never heard this album. I was first hipped to the 3 bone backing thing about 20 some odd years ago when my friend and mentor Endre Rice loaned me a copy of Duke Ellington's Spacemen - that one had 3 bones, rhythm, CLARK on trpt/flug and Russ P (on clarinet) - and I think Paul Gonsalves on tenor? Anyway, I love that format but I hadn't come across it much.

Today, I'm doing research for the next semester arranging class I'm teaching, making a list of stuff to transcribe and analyze for my students, and I come across some tracks from this album in the youtubes.

So of course I jet on over to iTunes to find the whole album.

Gene Quill on alto. Man, Gene Quill is up there with Bird, Cannonball and Phil as my favorite altoists. He's an underrated player who often gets missed in the history books. What an amazing player, so much juice in his smoothy! Such a master of the bop language.

The bones though...

Jimmy Cleveland, Frank Rehak and Jim Dahl. Man, so much knowledge in that section!

This isn't like the Ellington Spacemen which was mostly a vehicle for Clark and Duke and Paul... the bones get plenty of solo space, and they do not disappoint.

Charlie Persip on Drums, Whitey Mitchell on Bass and my favorite comper on the piano, the one and only HANK JONES!

This is sooooooo diggable.

Thanks for the heads up on this sleeper!

This has long been one of my favorite trombone albums! I picked it up on CD in Japan probably 15 years ago.

There's a funny old story about Gene Quill. I don't know if it's true or not. One time, Gene was walking out of a club after a gig. Some heckler yelled "you're nothing special! All you do is play just like Charlie Parker!"  Gene held his case out to the heckler and said "here you go - YOU play like Charlie Parker!"

Frank Wess did a similar recording.
Trombones featuring Frank Wess on flute.
Bones are Benny Powell,Henry Coker,Bill Hughes (Basie bone section) and Jimmy Cleveland.
Rhythm section is Ronnell Bright,Freddie Greene,Eddie Jones and Kenny Clarke.
Plenty for the bones to stretch out on.
Like both LP's.

When I was growing up, my father had singles (7 inch records as I recall) with Bud Shank and 3 trombones. I just looked this up, they actually used three valve trombones - Bob Enevoldsen, Maynard Ferguson, and Stu Williamson. There were a few short trombone solos, but it was mostly a Bud Shank feature.

Great album ! Haven't listened to it in years, must set my turntable up again......
Have so many great things on LP.

BellEnd

I dig Frank Rehak...love his style and phrasing. And Jimmy Cleveland had some BAD-a** licks going on...he should have been recorded more.

I dig Frank Rehak...love his style and phrasing. And Jimmy Cleveland had some BAD-a** licks going on...he should have been recorded more.