1
/
of
1
DUKE ELLINGTON (1899 – 1974)
Louie Bellson: Airmail Special - A Salute to the Big Band Masters
Louie Bellson: Airmail Special - A Salute to the Big Band Masters
AVAILABLE ON MAJOR STREAMING SERVICES
1 Airmail Special (Tribute to Lionel Hampton) 03:49
2 I Think of You (Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie) 07:14
3 Don't Be That Way (Tribute to Benny Goodman) 05:25
4 I Can't Get Started (Tribute to Bunny Berigan) 04:44
5 Take Me Home (Tribute to Woody Herman) 03:43
6 If I Were A Bellson (Tribute to Louie Bellson) 07:03
7 Cherokee (Tribute to Charlie Barnet) 04:38
8 Prelude to a Kiss (Tribute to Duke Ellington) 06:01
9 In Roy's Corner (Tribute to Tommy Dorsey) 03:32
10 Reach for The Sky (Tribute to Harry James) 03:33
11 Begin the Beguine (Tribute to Artie Shaw) 03:25
12 Get Up and Go (Tribute to Count Basie) 05:34
Louie Bellson salutes some of the historic "Big Band Masters" in this notable collection of fresh arrangements and originals. Drummer Bellson is likewise a prominent master, carrying on a big band tradition that resists having its blue flames dimmed or dismissed. Witness the most recent contributions of vivid, zestful jazz by his talent-laden orchestras on MusicMasters (Hot, 5008-2-C, and East Side Suite, 5009-2-C). And now Bellson delivers his brand of salute/acknowledgement to some big band leaders whose music and orchestras have constituted a major share of the era's musical literature and swinging jazz firmament. These dozen performances were inspired by Bellson's deep appreciation for his own sources of music excitement and guidance. He offers: "Louis Armstrong said 'We should never forget where we came from and where we're going'; Duke, Benny, Woody, Basie and some others were my mentors." He thought it would be fitting "to take a selection that each of the guys performed and write something" that might be linked to them. He emphasized "it wouldn't be right if we took the original charts and considered them with the same ideas and frames as Time-Life's re-created series of some ten or more years ago." Instead, Bellson's aim was to savor and re-interpret the music, re-casting it with a fresh approach, without forsaking integrity.

Louie Bellson's big bands are always hot and explosive, if not all that surprising. This 1987 CD features four originals by the drummer, three obscurities, and an opening "Caravan" that has solo space for guest flugelhornist Clark Terry, the great tenor Don Menza and Bellson. The other selections feature such talented soloists as trumpeters Brian O'Flaherty and Glenn Drewes, George Young on alto and soprano, altoist Joe Roccisano, Kenny Hitchcock on tenor, and pianist John Bunch. The 17-piece big band mixes together veterans with comparative youngsters and has many names familiar to followers of Bellson's orchestras. An above-average effort from the swinging crew.
All Music Guide
11/29/2024

00:00
/
00:00
•
skip_previous
play_circle_outline
pause_circle_outline
skip_next
Also Available from The DUKE ELLINGTON (1899 – 1974)
-
STREAMING
Benny Carter: Elegy in Blue
Regular price $0.00Regular priceUnit price / per -
STREAMING
Django Reinhardt with the Duke Ellington Orchestra: Live ...
Regular price $0.00Regular priceUnit price / per -
STREAMING
DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA: Music Is My Mistress - conducte...
Regular price $0.00Regular priceUnit price / per -
STREAMING
DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA: Only God Can Make a Tree - cond...
Regular price $0.00Regular priceUnit price / per -
STREAMING
DUKE ELLINGTON: In My Solitude: Solo Piano and Small Gr...
Regular price $0.00Regular priceUnit price / per -
STREAMING
Duke Ellington: Black, Brown & Beige - Louie Bellson & Hi...
Regular price $0.00Regular priceUnit price / per -
STREAMING
Duke Ellington: Four Symphonic Works - American Composers...
Regular price $0.00Regular priceUnit price / per -
STREAMING
Duke Ellington: Greatest Hits Live! (The Library of Congr...
Regular price $0.00Regular priceUnit price / per