Let's Dance

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https://youtu.be/a2VKsgfI_VQ Steve Allen, His Piano And Orchestra   "Let's Dance" ···· Let's Dance STEVE ALLEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA ···· AS A RULE, a record session is a fairly trying affair for musicians, primarily because they always are working under the pressure of time, and almost always are playing music they hardly would claim to be their particular cup of tea. The recording of this album comes under the heading of being an outstanding exception to the rule. For Steve Allen and his sidemen, grooving this tribute to the SwingEra and the birth of big band jazz was kicks. Not only did they like and understand what they were doing, but they also happened to be in a rare, fun lovin' and happy spirit for the occasion, which resulted in lending to these masterful arrangements that additional sparkle which translates itself into swinging excitement. Actually, the preparation of this album was a work of love for Allen, who has converted music as his hobby into a major segment of his diversified career, as well as Coral recording director Bob Thiele. Both have musical tastes which fundamentally are inclined toward jazz, and both have collected, studied, and generally absorbed jazz since their childhoods. Thus doing an album of Swing Era favorites and in the spirit of that fabulous post-Whiteman and pre-bop period evoked pleasant memories, and at the same time created a sort of inspiration for both to prove that big band jazz or swing is just as fresh today as it was when it first started them dancing in the aisles at the Paramount Theater. That they have proven the point is readily evidenced in these grooves. With painstaking care, the tunes were selected and arranged by such Swing Era scoring giants as Edgar Samson, and musicians were hand picked from the leading studio men who had matured in and become experienced from their earlier years as sidemen and jazz soloists with the leading swing bands. These men include lead altoist Hymie Schertzer, sax men Toots Mondello, Boomie Richmond, and Al Klink, trumpeters Billy Butterfield and Jimmy Maxwell, trombonists Vernon Brown and Lou MacGarity, and drummer Terry Snyder. For Allen, doing this album added still another lustrous page to an already remarkable show business career. Known to millions of tele-viewers as the host and star of NBC's "Tonight" show, Steve, via the TV medium, has become firmly entrenched as one of our leading low pressure comics, has built an impressive reputation as a glib master of ceremonies, has won a huge following for his pianistic abilities, and has moved to the forefront of the entertainment business as a star of the first latitude. Since his personality has more or less become public property, it has been discovered that Allen also is a writer of prose of more than a passing ability and has had published a book of short stories loosely titled "Fourteen For Tonight." Steve also is emerging as a film personality, with a movie contract as an actor under his belt. Likewise, the extent of his musical knowledge and ability is rapidly becoming known. He is a prolific songwriter, and has written a number of first rate tunes which have gained popular acceptance. Though music was his hobby, Steve's musical background was filled in considerably during his several years of service as a West Coast disc jockey. But the first real consideration of Allen as a musical personality arose when he began to record for Coral Records. He has produced a series of first rate, best selling albums of an unusually diversified nature, covering lush mood music (in "Music For Tonight"), free-wheeling combo jazz ("Jazz For Tonight"), vocalizing (in "Steve Sings"), andhas even done spoken monologue (most successfully on a single record, "What Is A Wife?"). This big band jazz album thus adds new and splendid achievement to Steve Allen's seemingly endless musical accomplishment. Appropriately enough, the album leads off with a Swing Era anthem and the title piece, "Let's Dance." Immediately you will be stimulated by the drive and precision of the ensemble as it swings through a reminiscent arrangement which opens up for solos by Allen at the piano, Butterfield on trumpet, and Boomie Richmond on tenor saxophone. "Don't Be That Way," one of the true classics of the Swing Era and still a standard in virtually every dance band book, makes a handsome showcase for Lou McGarity's trombone as he unbends a magnificent solo at his barrelhouse best. "Memories Of You," a pop song of the early thirties which was immortalized as a vehicle for Sonny Dunham's trumpet with the Casa Loma band, is done here in a new Edgar Samson arrangement which is deceptively simple and nonetheless swings in its slow fox trot tempo. Much of the secret of Swing is showcased in this selection, for it plainly demonstrates that arrangement economy stimulates the latent jazz powers of the musicians playing it, and they in turn are able to translate these few notes into a swinging communication with their audiences. Notice, too, the achievement of orchestral color accomplished by so simple a device as spotlighting sectional scoring. An enthusiastic and driving "One O'Clock Jump" follows, with the solos slickly executed by Allen, Richmond, McGarity, Klink, and Butterfield in that order, and a thoroughly exciting group of rocking ensemble choruses riding out this Count Basie gem, which is probably the number one jam blues of modern jazz. "Moonglow," like "Memories," is a new Samson arrangement and again makes the most of simple, swinging conception. The first side of the record concludes with a wonderfully pleasant reading of "Stompin' At The Savoy," with McGarity once again performing brilliantly on the trombone, and Klink making an equally fine tenor sax contribution. The second half of the album kicks off with a vivid recreation of the late Fletcher Henderson's amazing 1935 arrangement of "Sometimes I'm Happy," which features an absolutely fabulous sax section passage in the second chorus. Klink's tenor, Butterfield's virile horn and Allen lend the jazz touches to an altogether wonderful recording. The evergreen "King Porter Stomp" is done crisply, precisely and with tremendous esprit de corps, Vernon Brown's trombone solo providing a highlight and Butterfield once again playing brilliantly. "And The Angels Sing" evokes memories of the late thirties when Swing was king with Jimmy Maxwell's fat trumpet tones executing the exciting freilach passage in the arrangement. "Sing, Sing, Sing." the selection which probably did most to popularize swing, follows, and its rendition is one of the highlights of this collection. The spirit of Allen's men seems to rise to its most tremendous heights in tackling this classic. The band struck a remarkable tempo for this interpretation, and it swings with might and power from start to finish. Actually this recording was made in one "take," the result of having the tape machines rolling during the rundown of the arrangement. This accounts in part for the extraordinary amount of room resonance present in the finished product, but this minor failure is more than accounted for by the overall excitement of the performance. The solo highlight of the side was struck by Allen himself in an intensely percussive improvisation which stimulated the rhythm section into a hard-driving pattern with rhumba suggestion. Richmond and Butterfield also contribute prominently, while drummer Snyder drives the band with ferocity. Appropriately, the album closes with a warm reading of "Goodbye" a beautiful tune written by Gordon Jenkins. Allen, at the piano, makes the most of his solo work to round out his tribute to the classics of the Swing Era on a satisfying note. Altogether this is an extremely satisfying album. It brings back pleasant memories of one of the most pleasant periods in popular music history. It offers an unusually high calibre of swinging jazz. It is fine music for dancing as well as listening. And it certainly reveals that Steve Allen is earning his spurs as a major factor in recorded music. -- Notes by Hal Webman. (album notes) ------- Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. Though he got his start in radio, he is best known for his extensive network television career. Allen gained national attention as a guest host on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. In 1954, he achieved further national fame as the co-creator and first host of The Tonight Show, which was the first late-night nationwide television talk show.[1] He then went on to host numerous game and variety shows ... Allen began his recording career in 1951 with the album Steve Allen At The Piano for Columbia Records. He then signed with Decca Records, recording for their subsidiaries Brunswick Records and then Coral Records. Allen would release a mixture of novelty singles, jazz recordings and straight pop numbers for Decca throughout the 1950s, before switching to Dot Records in the 1960s. ... -- Wikipedia ----------/ Great Instrumental Music Here's more: https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/search/ccc?query=Great%20Instrumental%20Music#search=2~list~0