Concerto for Clarinet & Combo
| Concerto for Clarinet & Combo | ||||
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| Studio album by Shelly Manne & Bill Smith | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | Fantasy Records | |||
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Format (s) |
LP |
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Title (number) |
4th |
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running time |
39:58 |
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Studio (s) |
los Angeles |
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Concerto for Clarinet & Combo (full title according to Cover Premiere Recording of Concerto for Clarinet & Combo by Bill Smith, with the Composer on Clarinet, & Bags' Groove, Sophisticated Rabbit, My Old Flame ) is a jazz album by Shelly Manne & His Men with the clarinetist Bill Smith . The recordings were made in different line-ups on June 24, 1957 ("Concerto for Clarinet & Combo"), July 25, 1957 ("Sophisticated Rabbit") and on December 6, 1955 ("My Old Flame" and " Bags' Groove ") . The recordings appeared on Contemporary Records in 1957 .
background
Bill Smith wrote a jazz concerto in three movements in 1956 for solo clarinet (or soprano saxophone ), trumpet, trombone, French horn (or flugelhorn ), alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, piano, bass and drums. The “Concerto for Clarinet and Combo”, a twenty-minute concert in three movements in a swinging jazz style. The clarinet solo part contains both written out passages for ensemble playing and extensive sections for improvisation using standard jazz chord symbols. Bill Smith's notes on the score explain his intentions in composing the concerto:
- “First I wanted to examine the jazz counterpoint - to highlight the line in each of the instrumental parts. Second, I wanted to experiment with other formal possibilities than the normal 32-bar melody. For me, great relationships that are closely linked to the classical form of concerts were important. Finally, I wanted to highlight the variety in the treatment of the rhythm section - thinning out the texture as much as possible. Finally, I wanted the concert to be a swinging piece of music that strongly reflected the jazz tradition. "
The main piece of the album, which covers the entire A-side of the LP, is the three-part "Concerto for Clarinet & Combo", in which the Shelly Manne Quintet and some additional musicians play, who mainly play an accompanying role behind clarinetist Bill Smith , the composer of the piece. The B-side of the LP contains two pieces from 1955, "My Old Flame" and "Bags' Groove", with Stu Williamson (on trumpet and valve trombone) and tenor saxophonist Bill Holman in a quintet by Shelly Manne, while the band from 1957 (with alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano in Holman's place) played Mann's composition "Sophisticated Rabbit".
The US concert premiere of Bill Smith's Concerto for Clarinet and Combo was heard on January 15, 1967 at a concert by the Seattle Jazz Society at the ACT Theater. Smith, who was now teaching at the University of Washington Music School , was the principal clarinetist.
Track list
- Shelly Manne & His Men: Vol. 6: "Concerto for Clarinet & Combo", etc. (Contemporary Records - C 3536, Vogue LAC-12232, OJC CD1910-2)
A Concerto for Clarinet & Combo (BIll Smith)
- First Movement 5:08
- Second Movement 8:18
- Third Movement 6:32
B1 Sophisticated Rabbit (Shelly Manne) 3:30
B2 My Old Flame ( Arthur Johnston , Sam Coslow ) 5:41
B3 Bags' Groove ( Milt Jackson ) 10:48
reception
Scott Yanow said the LP contained one of the most obscure contemporary releases by West Coast drummer Shelly Manne. He gave the album, which has not yet been reissued on CD, four stars in Allmusic , justifying this as follows: “Although most of the parts were written out for the accompanying group, Smith generally improvises freely and the swinging suite covers different moods . All in all, this is a balanced and continuously interesting set that deserves to be reissued. "
Editorial notes
Test pressings of the Concerto for Clarinet & Combo were published by Contemporary Records as early as 1955 . The tracks “Bags' Groove” and “My Old Flame” also appeared on the 3-CD edition Here That's Manne - Shelly Manne & His Men, Septet & Quintet Sessions 1951-1958 on Fresh Sound Records , “Sophisticated Rabbit” and the Track "The Gambit" (which was also recorded on July 25, 1957) on the compilation The Playboy Jazz All Stars (Playboy PB1529 / 1530).
In 2012, clarinetist Mike McGinnis released the album Road Trip , on which he played both his interpretation of Bill Smith's Concerto for Clarinet & Combo and his own suite Road Trip, for Clarinet and Nine Players .
Individual evidence
- ^ Concerto for Clarinet & Combo at Parkside Publications
- ↑ a b Review of the album at Allmusic (English). Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ Down Beat , Volume 34. Maher Publications, 1967
- ↑ Shelly Manne & His Men: Vol. 6: "Concerto for Clarinet & Combo", etc. at Discogs
- ↑ Notes in GTJ & CR News, Volumes 1–6. Good Time Jazz, 1955
- ↑ Tom Lord : The Jazz Discography (online, accessed March 7, 2020)
- ↑ WATCH: Mike McGinnis's Road * Trip. Jazz Speaks, March 7, 2020, accessed March 7, 2020 .