Bright Moments Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 who is/was danny bank? or is it danny banks? he sure can blow that baritone sax!!! does anyone have any info? pictures? maybe a story christiern? Quote
Free For All Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 What did you hear him on BM? Quote
garthsj Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 Hahahaha .... Danny Bank was a big session musician in New York ... I laugh because many years ago, when I was lucky enough to take a course in jazz history with Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen (!!!) at Oscar's then School in Toronto, the Miles/Gil Evans "Porgy and Bess" had just been released. It was Oscar who pointed out to the class how hastily this album had been put together, and how difficult Gil's orchestrations were, especially on the up-tempo pieces. Even today whever I listen to "Gone" and a few others, I hear Danny Bank not being able to quite make it (he is on bass clarinet) .. if you know what to listen for, it is quite evident ... he comes in late in several places... When I heard the recently released box with all of the rehearsal takes, this problem became even more obvious. But still .. he was a fine musician on lots of good sessions. I am sure that Mike Fitzgerald can fill us in on that ... Quote
Free For All Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 Hahahaha .... Danny Bank was a big session musician in New York ... I laugh because many years ago, when I was lucky enough to take a course in jazz history with Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen (!!!) at Oscar's then School in Toronto, the Miles/Gil Evans "Porgy and Bess" had just been released. It was Oscar who pointed out to the class how hastily this album had been put together, and how difficult Gil's orchestrations were, especially on the up-tempo pieces. Even today whever I listen to "Gone" and a few others, I hear Danny Bank not being able to quite make it (he is on bass clarinet) .. if you know what to listen for, it is quite evident ... he comes in late in several places... When I heard the recently released box with all of the rehearsal takes, this problem became even more obvious. But still .. he was a fine musician on lots of good sessions. I am sure that Mike Fitzgerald can fill us in on that ... That was him, huh? I always felt sorry for that guy scuffling on the bass clarinet part. I wish Columbia had allowed Gil the additional rehearsal time he requested for that session. Quote
brownie Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 There was a very interesting interview of Danny Bank in Cadence magazine. That was in the July 1997 issue which I have somewhere. He was on the Miles Davis/Gil Evans collaborations, from the 'Miles Ahead' album on. That should say enough on how highly he was thought of! Banks played on hundreds of sessions and was on dates with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Al Cohn and many, many others... Quote
Dmitry Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 (edited) These are some of the albums I have that Danny Bank helped record.. Roll 'Em Monster Pre Bird Here Comes Frank Foster The Dynamic Duo Listen To Art Farmer And The Orchestra Slide Trombone Joyride Helen Merrill Delightfulee aforementioned Sketches Of Spain man's been around! Edited February 25, 2005 by Dmitry Quote
couw Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 I thought this thread was about Wolf Hudalla Quote
EKE BBB Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 These are some of the albums I have that Danny Bank helped record.. Roll 'Em Monster Pre Bird Here Comes Frank Foster The Dynamic Duo Listen To Art Farmer And The Orchestra Slide Trombone Joyride Helen Merrill Delightfulee aforementioned Sketches Of Spain man's been around! A few more: The Cole Porter songbook (Charlie Parker) Further adventures (Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery) King Pleasure sings and he appears in the Roy Eldridge Mosaic (I should check which session are we talking about) Quote
couw Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 I thought this thread was about Wolf Hudalla You mean this guy? No. The baritone guy in this pic: not to derail this thread, I myself had never seen the picture before. Quote
Free For All Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 Hey! That trombonist is playing left-handed! Looks like it's time for the piano player to take his medicine. Quote
couw Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 Hey! That trombonist is playing left-handed! that's Connie Bauer! the others: Ernst-Ludwig "Luten" Petrowsky (ld, as) Herbert Rößner (tp) Peter Setzmann (p) Ulrich Türkowsky (b) Günter "Baby" Sommer (dr) Quote
Free For All Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 that's Connie Bauer! Wow, I didn't know he played left handed. Live and learn. Quote
king ubu Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 that's Connie Bauer! Wow, I didn't know he played left handed. Live and learn. Uh, I saw him in concert twice and didn't notice... but then I'm no trombone player (I know I know, bad excuse). Now why did I think this thread was about Sergey Letov? Will have to listen to "Porgy & Bess" again, been a long time, but I thought of wishing away the dust from that set and give it a spin again soon, anyway. Now on Banks: he's great on the Foster/Wallington 10" Blue Note Conn! Sol Schlinger anyone? Quote
marcello Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 Here is a photo of Danny Bank! Quote
Bright Moments Posted February 25, 2005 Author Report Posted February 25, 2005 (edited) WOW! great guys! i heard him on the Helen Merrill discand he was smokin. i have some of the other sessions listed above so i will have to pull them out! is this guy still alive? did he ever record as leader? Edited February 25, 2005 by Bright Moments Quote
Bright Moments Posted February 25, 2005 Author Report Posted February 25, 2005 is it bank or banks? he is credited both ways? Quote
Bright Moments Posted February 25, 2005 Author Report Posted February 25, 2005 Now why did I think this thread was about Sergey Letov? and who is this dude, he looks too cool! B-) Quote
Michael Fitzgerald Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 Danny Bank is still with us. He teaches and occasionally gigs. Most recent I have seen him, I think, was with Loren Schoenberg's big band. Bank has an unbelievable baritone sound. That's why he worked so much. He was not an improviser, which is why he never made anything as a leader. Mike Quote
Bright Moments Posted February 25, 2005 Author Report Posted February 25, 2005 Bank has an unbelievable baritone sound. That's why he worked so much. He was not an improviser, which is why he never made anything as a leader. Mike told ya all he was a bad ass bari sax man! even the experts agree! thanks mike! Quote
king ubu Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 Letov is a great Russian sax and clarinets player, not exclusively a barisax player. Just thought when i saw the thread title I'd have to share one of those cool photos! Quote
brownie Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 I presume he is still alive. Hope he is a happy retiree by now! Although he took part in hundreds of sessions, he never led a date of his own. I remember reading somewhere (probably in Cadence) that he had a bad foot which handicaped his career. Quote
JSngry Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 Danny Bank was probably the third bari player I knew by name (Carney & Mulligan being the first two), thanks to his appearance on a Music Minus One album that my high school had called FOR SAXES ONLY. It was an album of sax section w/rhythm section pieces composed and arranged by Bob Wilber, "minus" a tenor player on one side and an alto on the other, with you, the saxophonist in the comfort of your own whereever, playing the missing part. The section included Hilton Jefferson and Wilber on altos, Jerome Richardson & Seldon Powell on tenors, and the hero of our story, Danny Bank on bari, he being the only sax player to be heard on every tune on both sides of the album. Bank shows up on all kinds of larger ensemble dates, easily as many as Pepper Adams, and probably a lot more because of his doubling ability. It's easy to get the impression that the NYC studio scene of the 50s & 60s wasn't very competitive, so often do we see the same section players on album after album after album. That would be incorrect - the competition was fierce. guys like Danny Bank got the call so many times becasue they were master musicians, and good deliver the total package of section playing (which is becoming something of a lost art afaic) quickly, consistently and reliably every time out. In short, Danny Bank is a master musician! Quote
Larry Kart Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 A very nice man, too, so I've been told. BTW, Bank has said that the greatest sax section he ever played in was that of the 1949 Artie Shaw band: Herbie Steward, Frank Socolow (altos); Zoot Sims, Al Cohn (tenors) and Bank. Hell of a band -- too bad there aren't many recordings; interesting charts (Dameron, Johnny Mandel, George Russell, etc.), Shaw in great "modern" form; Jimmy Raney on guitar, Don Fagerquist the featured tpt. soloist, Irv Kluger the swinging drummer, even a very musical female vocalist, Pat Lockwood. In fact, perhaps Mike Fitzgerald or someone else can help me solve a mystery here. On an album of transcriptions by that Shaw band, which I have on a cheapo Brit label, Prism, and which now skips so much that it's almost unlistenable, there's a Lockwood vocal on "He's Funny That Way," wrapped in an a handsomely performed, remarkably subtle arrangment by I don't know who (the coda in particular is gorgeous and more than a bit mind-bogglingly far out). As far as I know, this piece was not recorded commercially by the band. In some ways, it's Gil Evans-like, but I'm sure it's not his -- no record of him writing for the band, and the musical fingerprints are someone else's anyway. Of the guys who are listed as regular contributors to Shaw's book, I'd guess it was either George Siravo or Paul Jordan, but Siravo and Jordan are mostly just names to me. Quote
Bright Moments Posted February 25, 2005 Author Report Posted February 25, 2005 In short, Danny Bank is a master musician! indeed! B-) Quote
WD45 Posted February 25, 2005 Report Posted February 25, 2005 Now why did I think this thread was about Sergey Letov? and who is this dude, he looks too cool! B-) I thought it was a balding Kawabata Makoto [Acid Mothers Temple]. Quote
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