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WTF? Billy May Covers Wayne Shorter? (no fat jokes, please...)


JSngry

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Recently found this at a Goodwill for about a buck. Liner notes list soloists (a.o. = Paul Horn & Don Fagerquist), not full band (bass playing seems quite good, btw). Anybody got the full factuals?

How the chart on Wayne's tune? Eh...uh....er....like the rest of the album, it's....professional!

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BILLY MAY AND HIS ORCHESTRA:

John Audino,Don Fagerquist,Uan Rasey,Bud Brisbois(tp) Lew McCreary(bass tp)

Ed Kusby,Milt Bernhart, Tommy Shepard,William Schaefer(tb)

Paul Horn(fl,as) Justin Gordon(ts,picc) Chuck Gentry(bs)

Ray Sherman(p) Joe Gibbons(g) Ralph Pena(b) Alvin Stoller(dm) Billy May(arr,cond).

(Session #11042)(Capitol Tower) LA,February 11,1963

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BILLY MAY AND HIS ORCHESTRA:

John Audino,Don Fagerquist,Uan Rasey,Bud Brisbois(tp) Lew McCreary(bass tp)

Ed Kusby,Milt Bernhart, Tommy Shepard,William Schaefer(tb)

Paul Horn(fl,as) Justin Gordon(ts,picc) Chuck Gentry(bs)

Ray Sherman(p) Joe Gibbons(g) Ralph Pena(b) Alvin Stoller(dm) Billy May(arr,cond).

(Session #11042)(Capitol Tower) LA,February 11,1963

Thank you sir!

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You know, I've always thought that the various recordings of COTN were missing something. After hearing this one, it finally made sense: It needed an insanely high trumpet obligato, courtesy of Bud Brisbois!

BTW: seems like Billy May was on a Shorter/Blakey/Bobby Timmons/Horace Silver/Blue Note/Hard Bop kick on this side, what with COTN, The Preacher, Whisper Not, Moanin' and Dat Dere included...

Edited by DukeCity
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Thanks to Duke City for sending me an MP3 of COTN. Yeah, Bud Brisbois!

Wow, Billy sure de-Wayned the tune. If I didn't already know COTN it would have been OK to listen to, but many of the unique harmonic devices that Wayne uses were absent. I mean, one of the main points of interest in the tune is the first two chords with the pedal point. F# minor/B to GMA7(#4)/B :wub: -totally gone!! <_<

What's next, Pensativa turned into a blues? :g

A related story- there are some published re-arrangements of some of Thad's big band compositions that are watered down (you know, all those pesky rhythms and odd harmonies removed :rolleyes: ) to make them playable for less experienced bands. That always bothered me- if Thad is too advanced for an ensemble, then DON'T PLAY THAD until you are ready! And the guys who re-arrange these tunes- JUST WRITE AN ORIGINAL PIECE "IN THE STYLE OF". Don't be messin' with Thad's bid'ness! Sheesh.

Edited by Free For All
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Thanks to Duke City for sending me an MP3 of COTN. Yeah, Bud Brisbois!

I'd love to hear this, out of morbid curiosity.

if Thad is too advanced for an ensemble, then DON'T PLAY THAD until you are ready! And the guys who re-arrange these tunes- JUST WRITE AN ORIGINAL PIECE "IN THE STYLE OF". Don't be messin' with Thad's bid'ness! Sheesh.

My sentiments exactly.

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Thanks to Duke City for sending me an MP3 of COTN. Yeah, Bud Brisbois!

What the hell?!?!? Screech trumpet??? This is bizarre in the truest sense of the word. :blink:

Haven't heard this track, but while Brisbois could play "insanely high," he did not (in my experience) screech.

I've always assumed "screech trumpet" is commonly used term for ....insanely high trumpet playing.

Edited by Michael Weiss
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I've always assumed "screech trumpet" is commonly used term for ....insanely high trumpet playing.

That's a general term I've heard too. I think are examples where the player is just playing the highest possible sound with little regard for pitch/chord relevancy, and then then are some who actually play specific notes appropriate to the tonality. I'm more a fan of the latter, although Cat Anderson has played some pretty abstract obbligatos that (while having little to do w/the harmony of the moment) are obviously effective in creating excitement.

Once I was playing in a big band and there was a trumpet player who insisted on playing the highest note possible at the end of certain charts. Most of the time there was neither a discernable pitch nor harmonic relevance, just a lot of ego. He became known (behind his back) as "Can't Anderson". :g

Glenn (Duke City) knows this story.......tell us about the "spray", Glenn.....................

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And the guys who re-arrange these tunes- JUST WRITE AN ORIGINAL PIECE "IN THE STYLE OF". Don't be messin' with Thad's bid'ness!

But then you'd have to include all those pesky rhythms and odd harmonies... :g

Unless it's "Thad Lite®".........bad taste, less filling.

Edited by Free For All
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Thanks to Duke City for sending me an MP3 of COTN. Yeah, Bud Brisbois!

What the hell?!?!? Screech trumpet??? This is bizarre in the truest sense of the word. :blink:

Haven't heard this track, but while Brisbois could play "insanely high," he did not (in my experience) screech.

I've always assumed "screech trumpet" is commonly used term for ....insanely high trumpet playing.

Maybe so, but some guys who play insanely high trumpet sound screechy -- one hears something thin and forced/effortful, like a soprano weightlighter just before the hernia hits -- while others manage to sound pure and ecstatic/otherworldly (or delerious). Brisbois was one of those guys.

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The adjective/noun combination "Screech Trumpet" is commonly used as a noun in the big band bigbandiverse, a la "Lead Alto" or "Jazz Trumpet" or No Time Motherfucking Piece Of Shit Drummer".

Of course, the adjectives "Screech" or "screechy" have subjective connotations, as adjectives are wont to do.

So once again, we have....

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The adjective/noun combination "Screech Trumpet" is commonly used as a noun in the big band bigbandiverse, a la "Lead Alto" or "Jazz Trumpet" or No Time Motherfucking Piece Of Shit Drummer".

Of course, the adjectives "Screech" or "screechy" have subjective connotations, as adjectives are wont to do.

Indeed. Maynard used to joke about being called a "screech" player, with all of the negative connotations it comes with. A similar term that many trumpet guys embrace is "scream trumpet". Why screaming is better than screeching I'm not sure.

One very fine high note trumpet player (that FreeForAll used to work a lot with) devised his own self-depricating term, "Blasting Lug Head".

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