Launching A New Sound in Music by Terry Gibbs And His Orchestra Mercury (SR 60112) Publication date 1959

 THE INSIDE STORY

TYPE OF MUSIC: Crisp, powerful, swinging performances by a big band that

is steeped in the swing tradition and led by the ebullient vibes and personality

of Terry Gibbs.

Recorded Feb. 17 and 18, 1959, in Hollywood, Calif., at Radio Recorders

Studio. Personnel: Terry Gibbs, vibes and piano (on Opus #1); trumpets—

Al Porcino, Conte Candoli, Ray Triscari, and Stu Williamson; trombones—

Frank Rosolino, Vern Friley, and Bob Enevoldsen; saxes—Joe Maini, Charlie

Kennedy, Med Flory, Bill Holman, and Jack Schwartz; rhythm—Pete Jolly,

piano; Max Bennett, bass; Mel (The Tailor) Lewis, drums.

Phil Gilbert, trumpet, and Joe Mondragon, bass, replace Triscari and Bennett

on I’m Getting Sentimental Over You, Let’s Dance, Prelude To A Kiss, and

Don’t Be That Way. 3

Supervision: Terry Gibbs.

Cover Photo: Garrett and Howard.

They told me I was out of my head when I organized this band. Nobody would

believe it was possible to get a big band working in Hollywood, much less take

it on the road.

“What are you knocking yourself out for?” they asked me; “you know the

band business is dead.” But I knew something they didn’t. I knew my musicians

were behind me—all the way.

Granted, I organized the band for this album. We had a dozen arrangements,

that was all. But after the first rehearsal at my house we all knew we really

had something: a tremendous spirit and a great desire to play this kind of

swinging music.

The Seville club in Hollywood was an ideal room for a big band, and a big band

has to work. So the idea was presented to the club owner of putting the band

in on Tuesday night, which was the off-night. He had tried many policies,

without success, and was desperate to find an attraction that would make it

there. So he gambled, along with us, that this might be it.

We came into the Seville for this one night. We ended up staying for nine solid

weeks, five days a week.

Since that first Tuesday night, the band has become increasingly better and

our book has been enlarged by the additional arrangements of Bill Holman,

Al Cohn, Manny Albam, Med Flory, Marty Paich, and Bob Brookmeyer. You

will hear their work on this album, and I am happy to say that they captured

the scund I wanted in my band.

Here’s why I chose the arrangers who wrote the music in this album and here

is a rundown on the twelve tunes:

I picked Bob Brookmeyer because he’s always seemed to me to be a modern

Fletcher Henderson, so it was natural that he write the two Benny Goodman

numbers, Let’s Dance and Don’t Be That Way. Frank Rosolino and Conte

Candoli solo besides myself on the first one, and Don’t Be That Way has solos

by me, Conte, and Joe Mondragon on bass. This chart’s got that down-home

Brookmeyer feel.

I gave Bill Holman the two Artie Shaw tunes, Begin The Beguine and Stardust

because I always felt that Artie was one of the most musical players in the

business. And Bill is without doubt one of the most musical arrangers in jazz.

On Stardust notice how Bill used part of Jack Jenny’s famous trombone solo

for the introduction and how saxes and vibes play Shaw’s clarinet solo. Conte

plays a very pretty chorus on this. Beguine has solos by Rosolino and myself;

the ensemble chorus is a highpoint.

Manny Albam is from the old Basie days, anyhow. Even though he can write

in a million ways, he treated the two old hits of Basie’s just the way I wanted

them—one easy swing tune, Moten Swing, and one flagwaver, Jumpin’ At The

Woodside. Max Bennett walks on bass through Moten. Jumpin’ has solos by

Med Flory and myself—but the highspots are the final choruses, the shouting

ensembles, the really wild trumpet riffs.

Al Cohn did the two Ellington tunes, Cottontail and Prelude To A Kiss. The

reason I wanted Al for these is that I think he, too, is one of the most musical

arrangers today. (And then, Duke wrote such tremendous tunes...) With Al

handling them, it was a natural choice. Besides my own solo on Cottontail,

there’s Conte, Holman on tenor, and Pete Jolly on piano. But how about that

sax section chorus? Would you believe that! Joe Maini really outdid himself

on lead alto there. Prelude is just vibes and band. That’s Al Porcino’s solo at

the start—very bluesy.

Med Flory, who arranged the Hampton tunes, Flyin’ Home and Midnight Sun,

is a hard writer, he’s a hard swing writer. (Sort of reminds me of the way Tiny

Kahn used to arrange.) Naturally, Hamp’s tunes fit in good with Med’s style.

Midnight is a long vibes solo with a luscious band background; Flyin’ Home

gives me a chance to play solos both on vibes and two-finger piano. That’s

Ray Triscari hitting those high F’s and G’s.

Marty Paich wrote the Tommy Dorsey numbers, Opus #/ and Gettin’ Senti-

mental Over You. Marty’s the type who can write practically anything. And

the thing I wanted most to get across was the feeling of Tommy’s theme.

It’s just a beautiful arrangement written around the vibes to solo all the way

through. Opus #1 has Porcino playing lead through the whole chart. After my

solo, Bob Enevoldsen takes a valve-trombone solo, then The Tailor (that’s

Mel Lewis) kicks the band into overdrive.

We hope you'll enjoy the album half as much as we had a ball making it. And

we'll all see you soon—in person. ol i bbs

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