Airmen of Note - Better Than Ever 1983

 I grew up in Northern Virginia, and many July 4th days were spent at Wolf Trap Pavilion watching the Airmen of Note play.  It was my first exposure to "Big Band" style of music.  The musicians were very talented and under appreciated.  I have a collection of most of their works (difficult to get, but worth the time!).   This release is one of my favorites, and features Tim Eyermann on Sax in "A Certain Smile".  

I hope you enjoy these great recordings!!

Tracklist

A1	A Certain Smile Arranged By – MSgt Mike Crotty*Composed By – Wade Matthews (2)	6:40
A2	I'll Remember April Arranged By – MSgt Mike Crotty*Composed By – Raye*, DePaul*, Patricia JohnstonWritten By – Raye DePaul & John Stone	3:30
A3	I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart Arranged By – TSgt Dave Morgan*Composed By – Duke Ellington	3:05
A4	Brigitte Arranged By – SMSgt Gil Cray*Composed By – Freddie Hubbard	4:46
A5	Centri-Fusion Composed By, Arranged By – MSgt Mike Crotty*	5:43
B1	Loving Composed By, Arranged By – Dave Zollar*	7:40
B2	Skylark Arranged By – MSgt Mike Crotty*Composed By – Hoagy Carmichael	5:27
B3	Tune For Billy Arranged By – SMSgt Gil Cray*Composed By – SMSgt Rick Whitehead*	6:50
B4	It Mostly Be's That Way, Sigmund Floyd Composed By, Arranged By – Phil Wilson

Forgive the formatting

Gap Mangione - Gap Mangione!

Here's a release from 1976 that seems to be hard to find?  I purchased this near Mint LP n eBay and have archived the audio here.  Most notable is "Hill Where the Lord Hides" made famous by his brother. On many of the selections, I am not fond of the synthesizer settings used in the melody lines.  Perhaps indicative of the technology available to many at that time.  However the Bass lines played by Reubens Bassini keeps many tracks very interesting.

• Bass – Tony Levin
• Drums – Steve Gadd
• Keyboards – Gap Mangione
• Percussion – Ruebens Bassini*

Hope you enjoy! 

Tracklist

A1	Theme From Picnic	4:17
	"The Graduate" Medley
A2a	Scarborough Fair / Canticle	1:21
A2b	The Sound Of Silence	1:42
A2c	Mrs. Robinson	3:43
A3	Laughter In The Rain	4:26
A4	Little Lady' Little Man	1:29
B1	Hill Where The Lord Hides	5:45
B2	Legacy (Main Theme)	5:08
B3	I Won't Last A Day Without You	6:36

Gap Mangione - Sing Along Junk

So I have been archiving all of the Gap Mangione albums that were never released digitally (CD or otherwise) and will be mentioning some of these LP's.   This 1972 release on Mercury records is a collection of covers and original works.  The fidelity was above average on this recording, but not excellent.  This album may have the first release of "Diana in the Autumn Wind" which can be had on CD, but produced much later. 

Notable musicians here were Jon Faddis, Snooky Young and Clark Terry on horns, Gerry Niewood on sax.  Only a few songs feature these instruments.  Many of the songs have  a Bossa Nova feel to them.  Most notably "Theme from 'The Burglars'".  

Hope you enjoy! 

Tracklist

The End	2:27
Groupie (Superstar)	4:12
Pond With Swans	2:40
Ardis	2:25
Long Hair Soulful	4:37
Pina Colada	2:49
Theme From "The Burglars"	3:48
Sing Along Junk	4:04
You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You	3:07
It's Gonna Take Some Time	2:54
Diana In The Autumn Wind	2:59
Jason	2:32

Tim Eyermann Quartet - "With the Coast in Mind" 1974

In my effort to honor Tim Eyermann's musical accomplishments, I am trying to find all the recordings from that era that was never digitized or released on CD or even available for download.  There are several other works from Mr. Eyermann that are written about on this Blog.  

I found this LP in a used LP shop in Phoenix during business travel.  I had never knew about this one, because it is listed under Tim Eyermann Quartet (not East Coast Offering).  One listen and you can feel that this recording is fairly intimate.  I especially liked the attention to detail given to the recording methods on the back cover.  You never see this type of detail on today's contemporary recordings... Why is that?

As it mentions in the technical notes, the recording was mastered on the revered Ampex 354 (tube electronics recorder).  There are still recordings being made using the 354 for its clean subtle and warm sound. 

In "Cantaloupe Island" you can specially hear and feel the room acoustics and ambiance blending in the recording.  In "Malibu" there is a lengthy bass solo given at the beginning of the track.  Tim writes in the album notes that this effort was to be a blend of old and new jazz and rock idioms.
I hope you get a chance to listen to this album!

Credits:

Tracklist

1	Watch What Happens
2	Patterns
3	Cantaloupe Island
4	Malibu
5	Knowing When To Leave
6	Long Ago And Far Away

Credits

• Composed By – Herbie Hancock (tracks: 3), Jerome Kern (tracks: 6), Michel Legrand (tracks: 1), Oliver Nelson (tracks: 2), Tom Scott (tracks: 4, 5)
• Contrabass – Brent Mckesson
• Drums – Dave Palamar
• Guitar – Rick Whitehead
• Saxophone, Woodwind – Tim Eyermann

Bud Brisbois - Lead Trumpet Extraordinaire

I will be posting some Airmen of Note in the future, but came across a recording of "Rose Hips" from 1973 and was impressed with the direct, melodic and forceful sound of the lead trumpet on that recording.  I had to find out the artist....found out it was Bud Brisbois.  The upper ranges sound so effortless... even up to a Triple High C!!

An interesting but tragic story of talent ended way too soon.  I have the Wikipedia link here:

Other notable artists that have emerged from "The Airmen of Note" are Tim Eyermann and others

Let me know in the comments any others that I have not discovered (yet)...

Gap Mangione - "...and the kids called it boogie" 1974

What can I say, I am a sucker for old 70's jazz, this LP was especially rare and was lucky to purchase an unopened with perfect album cover!!  The music here is light interpretations of pop music popular that year (1974).  My favorites are "Love's Theme" and a Bossa-esque version of George Benson's
"This Masquerade".   There is also a Gap original "She and I" which is mysterious and solemn and punctuated with some touching bass lines which really completes it... this song gradually gathers steam and with it's rather simple but beautiful melody line with Gap changing from piano to synthesizer.
What I found out later was that this LP was also released with the same music on an album called "She and I".  Neither this version or the other were ever released to CD or digital (to my knowledge).   Please enjoy !!!

TracklistHide Credits

A1	Love's Theme Written-By – Barry White	4:08
A2	This Masquerade Written-By – Leon Russell	5:43
A3	Please Send Me Someone To Love Written-By – Percy Mayfield	5:40
A4	And The Kids Call It Boogie Written-By – Gap Mangione	2:55
A5	A Little Blues Never Hurt Anybody Written-By – Gap Mangione	3:22
B1	In My Yellow Camper Bus Written-By – Gap Mangione	5:07
B2	Samba De Opheo Written-By – A. Maria*, Luis Bonva*	2:47
B3	She And I Written-By – Gap Mangione	3:56
B4	Things Ain't What They Used To Be Written-By – Mercer Ellington, Ted Persons	4:50
B5	Love J, A.M. Written-By – Gap Mangione	5:20

Joe Thomas - "Ebony Grandfather" 1971

Sorry for the infrequent posts, but slowly I am getting some extra time to post a few more rare recordings (I say rare, when it has never been published in digital format)

The brief career of this artist, one of four different horn players in jazz named Joe Thomas, can be basically described as symposium on funky flute. He was certainly not the only flautist huffing and puffing over strong backbeats in the '70s and '80s, the era's popular players in this style including Herbie Mann, and Hubert Laws. Thomas' masterwork in this genre might be considered to be "Funky Fever," more than ten minutes of jamming that has been described as "jazzy disco funk boogie," complete with a vocal chorus that chants "I've got this funky, funky fever."

My first exposure to Thomas was in the disco craze of the late 70's when he produced "Plato's Retreat"  in 1978 which was a discotheque and swingers club in Manhattan combined in one!

You can listen to it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl30GF_CalE

As far as Thomas discography, I believe that this is his first LP release in 1971.  It's somewhat rare and I was lucky to come across a sealed never played LP.  My favorite track from this LP 'Fancy Fanny' was actually a fun, breezy Bossa number for people who don't like the flute. One of the album's better numbers and a good place to see Thomas showcasing his technical skills - wow, hyper-speed flute !. Who would have thought. rating: ***** stars

Please sit back and roll yourself back to the funky jazz era from 1971!!

Track listing: 

(Side 1) 

1.) Talk To Me (instrumental) (J. Senica) - 3:10

2.) Chitlins And Cuchifritos (instrumental (Buddy Scott - Joe Thomas) - 2:503.) Ebony Godfather (instrumental) (Buddy Scott - Joe Thomas) - 4:12 

4.) Fancy Fanny (instrumental) (Buddy Scott - Joe Thomas) - 3:22 

5.) Be Anything Be Mine (instrumental) (I. Gordon) - 3:14 

(Side 2) 

1.) Every Brother Ain't A Brother (instrumental) (Gary Byrd) - 6:00

2.) Sundown Express (instrumental) (C. Walton) - 3:05

3.) Love (instrumental) Kaempert - Gambler) - 3:18 

Irrepressible Impulses -1972

I had received some email from a follower, and she had a sealed copy of the the Sampler :"Irrepressible Impulses" from 1972, and wanted to mail to me to rip and post.  So I agreed, and was actually not familiar with the work, but after one listen, I realized there were some great gems on this recording.  Even though it debuted in 1972, the recording fidelity is fantastic.  I have yet to scan the Cover art , so what I am posting is someone else's scan... But I will eventually scan and update this post.  My favorite here is Astral Traveling, featuring one of my ATF "Lonnie Liston Smith" on Rhodes Electric... I can see where is style originated and was born from... please enjoy...

Enjoy!

To View the Tracklist and Credits got o Discogs...:

Charlie Byrd - "The Look of Love" 1970

I have had this LP in my collection for some time, and created a digital archive awhile ago, this recording was made with my old Sumiko Blue Point cartridge (as opposed to the Denon DL110 I am currently using).

This release came from Harmony Records, back in 1970.  I think the album cover of the attractive actually got me to buy the LP and try out CB's music.  Charlie Lee Byrd (September 16, 1925 – December 2, 1999) was an American guitarist. His earliest and strongest musical influence was Django Reinhardt, the gypsy guitarist. Byrd was best known for his association with Brazilian music, especially bossa nova. In 1962, Byrd collaborated with Stan Getz on the album Jazz Samba, a recording which brought bossa nova into the mainstream of North American music.

Byrd played fingerstyle on a classical guitar. 

Tracklist

A1		How Insensitive Written-By – A. C. Jobim*, V. DeMoraes*
A2		I'll Never Fall In Love Written-By – B. Bacharach*, H. David*
A3		Travellin' Man
A4		Theme From "Valley Of The Dolls" Written-By – A. Previn*, D. Previn*
A5		A Time For Love Written-By – J. Mandel*, P. F. Webster*
B1		The Look Of Love Written-By – B. Bacharach*, H. David*
B2		In The Name Of Love Written-By – E. Levitt*, K. Rankin*
B3		Meditation Written-By – A. C. Jobim*, N. Mendonca*, N. Gimbel*
B4		Alfie Written-By – B. Bacharach*, H. David*

Tim Eyermann - "Go-rilla" (1978)

Continuing along with the Tim Eyermann theme, another release from the Juldane Records Studio, I came across a sealed NEW LP on eBay of "Go-rilla" and had to snag it.  So presented here is Tim Eyermann and the East Coast Offering.

After graduating from Duquesne University, Eyermann spent six years in the United States Air Force, playing with the NORAD Band and eventually the U.S. Air Force's The Airmen of Note. After his discharge from the Air Force, Eyermann became a very busy man recording music as a studio musician. He worked with Count Basie, Maynard Ferguson, Julie Andrews, The Spinners and Anita Baker. In 1974, he formed a band called the East Coast Offering which was led by Eyermann. Many categorize his music as jazz, hard bop, or fusion. Tim was also nominated for two Grammies. In 1999 Tim released his most recent album Karla's Fire.

My favorite track on this album is the moody and inspired track: "Requiem for an Unborn Child", this has got to have personal implications from his own life, the composition certainly reflects this...

Credits:

Tim Eyermann - Alto Sax, Soprano Sax, Flute and Alto Flute and Bass Flute

Greg Karukas - Keyboards

Carl Gable - Fretless Electric Bass

Shannon Ford - Drums

Kent Ashcraft - Guitar

Steve Bloom - Percussion

Jeff Hurwitz - Keyboards (Tracks 4,6)

Wade Matthews - Fretless Electric Bass (tracks 4,6)

Dave Palamer - Drums (Tracks 4,6)

Phil McCusker - Guitar (Tracks 4,6)

Please enjoy, and let your mind roll back to 1978 and the fusion funk jazz that emanated from that time period.  This seems rare enough that Discogs did not have much information.

Tim Eyermann and the East Coast Offering - "Aloha" (1980)

I had the cassette of the "Aloha" release back in 1980 when TE and the East Coast Offering was breaking in to the Jazz Fusion scene.  So I decieded to hunt down an LP copy of this album and make an LP rip of this and post. As I was listening to this album, many memories flooded back from my college days, my favorite track is "A Certain Smile" which is a great instrumental version of the Johnny Mathis ballad.  The track "Karen's Song" received a fair amount of airplay on the jazz stations back then...

My last few LP rips have been done with a new cartridge, Denon DL110.  I decided to retire my Sumiko Blue Point, perhaps it was getting too much wear?  It seemed the detail was starting to diminish. I bring this up, because it seems that the high-end detailing was fairly pronounced on this LP. I would like to go back to the Sumiko to compare, but its such a hassle replecing cartridges on that SME tomearm.

The album cover was atrocious (received from eBay) and in awful shape, so I spent several hours restoring the LP cover scans, and uploaded to discogs.com (their copy was in poor shape also)

Credits

• Bass– Wade Matthews
• Drums– John Molo
• Guitar– Phil McCusker
• Piano [Fender Rhodes]– Bruce Harrison (tracks: A2, A3, A5, B1, B4), Louis Scherr (tracks: A1, A4, B2, B3, B5)
• Producer– Tom Lellis
• Producer, Wind [Woodwinds]– Tim Eyermann