http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=141o_jwG7cA&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgaD54YcXpA&feature=related

WOW!!! watching Buddy play is simply amazing! Imagine having him record "Fills" for arranger Big Band styles etc..

I had the privilege of seeing Buddy perform live with his big band at Florida State in the early 70's. He and the band were amazing.

Joe

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Songman55
Joe Ayala

Joe they dont come any better ....it must have been a show you'll always remember.
He was the Consummate Showman & Ultimate Drummer......I remember seeing him doing solos & para diddle work on a wooden stool simply amazing! & this great performance in Frank's Show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5reK-_e-02Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQwBdHsVGag



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 05-12-2008).]

A superb musician... one of the greats.

He knew how to treat his sidemen, too! Some of those 'bus-tapes' are legendary!

PRE Computer age PRO-Musicians of any kind really had their instrument down pat, NO alternatives like we have today....if you wanted to play YOU had to learn, practice your butt off, & strive to be the best.
Faking wasn't an option like today, you had to pull your own weight. One of my Music Teachers from the High School Orchestra I played Alto Sax & Tympani/Percussion would single out EACH player At Random to play his or her parts SOLO in front of the band just to make sure you knew your parts perfect & to also cut out cheaters, it really kept you on you toes for sure.


ON another note watch some of these Big Band clips and Listen to each player, this in turn will let you be more knowledgeable and a better Arranger Player also because in reality that is what you are doing while you play an arranger KB.....you HAVE TO know how to play every instrument the right way with your styles in order to be accurately believable within each instruments abilities. This is where many make such terrible choices and might play a trumpet like a piano or an oboe like a guitar, it is imperative that your right hand knows what to do be it a SOLO melody or Accompaniment chords to you left hand to back up lead vocals or a mix of moth at times also.....herein lies the real secrets of being a great arranger player versus a mediocre one. Keep watching & Keep learning it never stops.

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 05-12-2008).]

Never saw Buddy live, but always wanted to. Lionel Hampton was a surprisingly good drummer....appeared on the Steve Allen show multiple times playing piano, drums and vibes, naturally.

Louis Belsom is one of my favorites. My son just bought an album recorded by the Belsom orchestra with James Brown....what a hoot!
Was acquainted with Louis, his brother (Tony, I think) and Louis' wife, pearl Bailey in the early 60's in California.

It was admirable that Pearl Bailey (Belsom's wife) always had a shot of her husband in the appearance contract. In the 50's, with race relations what they were, that was a BIG DEAL.

Good for them!

Russ




[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 05-12-2008).]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B09cED1_gvk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbMlHAFZXx0&feature=related

Thanks, Donny. The host is Steve Allen, one of my heroes, and a prolific author, composer and pianist. It's from the early 60's (about late 62) live syndicated show that originated from LA. Was canceled after about 14 months. Pit band was a "who's who" of the jazz community. I was a "gofer" for about a year.

Stuff like this happened live every night. It wouldn't have mattered if the president of the US was a guest. If "Hamp" showed up (usually unannounced...just walked on the set with that big grin), things dramatically changed gears. There were twin drums, vibes and pianos. Extemporaneous, "big band" jazz happened at a second's notice. It was a nightly, "seat of the pants" jam session.

Heady stuff for a 16 year old to be involved in. At the time, the best I could do was Ventures and Dick Dale surf tunes. Ultimately, Allen was canceled because he insisted on doing bits like "meeting of the minds", an intellectual discussion of current topics with bit players (himself, Louie Nye, his wife, Jane Meadows, and others) taking the position of a famous historical person (eg. Washington, Plato, Martin Luther, etc.).

I remember seeing Johnnie Carson at the time, thinking that his show was "dumned down pablum". It wasn't. Carson just realized that the TV audience was changing from an elitist one (early TV adopters-expensive equipment) to a mass media one.

Guys like Dick Cavet (sp?) and Steve never got it and/or weren't willing to "sell out". The lesson for me is/was, these guys over-intellectualized themselves out of a job. Same thing happens to most good jazz musicians...they progress to the point where they play themselves out of a job.

Steve Allen worked on PBS after the early 60's, at a fraction of the salary of Letterman or Leno. That was his choice.
He was a superior intellect, but wasn't willing to compromise his intellectual and musical commitments for success in the mass media.

Jazz players need to either be prepared to make the sacrifices required to stay true to their art, or accept the need to play other things for the compensation. The worst case is jazz musicians who blame the public for not appreciating their talent. It's not the public's fault. They don't spend every waking hour working on chord inversions...variations on a lead line, etc.

I'm so grateful for the contributions of the Belsons of the world. And, so sad that some (read most) of my music heroes had such tragic lives (drugs, poverty, lack of recognition). The exposure shaped many aspects of my life and made me commit to jazz and intellectual discourse as lifetime aspirations, but not rely on either for 100% of my living. Sadly, I wasn't willing to make the required sacrifices. And that bothers me to this day.


Russ




[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 05-14-2008).]

Russ...we all make choices in our lives and sometimes choose paths we think we should have taken but didnt. But we cant predict the future can we?....anyway, sounds like you have some great memories of the past for sure, cherish them always as it is the driving force behind our actions and aspirations of today. You still have Music in your Life & that is a wonderful thing no one can ever take from you. Now go put on a good old Jazz CD and some headphones, sit back and get excited listening baby!!



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 05-15-2008).]

Donny, I couldn't agree more. Russ, you've had a fantastic life and have positioned yourself to be able to share some of your gifts with others (from Buddhist Monks to jazz audiences). As Donny says, forget those 'regrets' and enjoy the great life you've carved out for yourself. MY only regret, is that there are not more substantive people like you in the jazz community.

chas

Chas, one thing I struggle with is, I put substantial backing behind a local jazz education program for disadvantaged kids. I fund a program that annually involves over 50 kids. All get lessons, a place to hang out and can earn instruments with successful completion. And yet, when it gets right down to it, knowing what I know about the jazz lifestyle, I'm not sure I can unconditionally recommend choosing jazz as a lifetime career. It's sad that something so deep and meaningful on one level is so capable of causing frustration, poverty, etc.

When I sold my farm in 2000, I set up a charitable trust which generates around $75,000 annually. I add an equal amount from my personal assets/income, and play one job a week which goes to a group dedicated to nursing home reform (about $15,000 annually for that group).

But I could do more. I still have 5 new cars, 4 new motorcycles, old restored cars and scooters, airplanes, 300 plus stringed instruments, 12 keyboards, two homes, other property...way too many "toys"... too many possessions that could be sold to help others. I could easily add a 2nd charity job a week.

Sometimes, I think, on both the music side and on the "making a difference" side, I've done a half-assed job.

Growing up, I could never afford school lunch (I bought lunch for my brothers) and spent lots of time in the hospital with injuries inflicted by a crazy parent.

Now, It's country clubs, expensive meals, jewelry...too much unneeded stuff. In the meantime, a full year of college in Laos only costs $150.00...less than I paid for dinner with the grandkids last night.

And while I talk a good jazz game, the majority of my music income comes from forgettable "pablum" film scores that fat corporations pay entirely too much for.

I'm happy for what I have, but a little embarrased about it, and am re-thinking things at this stage of my life.

It feels good to do things for others, and doing more is the direction I'm going to go in the future. I know what it's like to have nothing, and can't get the millions who are now in that position out of my head.

I know...I'll start an effort to buy chicken hats for all...


Sorry for the rant...


Russ

hey Russ maybe you could involved with a great cause like this.
http://www.nolamusiciansvillage.com/

Thanks, Donny. It's on the list of "possibles"!

R.

Russ, I think you might be over-worrying about teaching jazz to youngsters... You yourself have managed to put a good life together, despite the handicap of being a jazz aficionado, why not them?!

It is up to each individual to learn how to incorporate the influences and work ethic that studying jazz bring, into a career in music. A jazz education doesn't HAVE to be a death sentence in the commercial world. But one of the things to instill is that jazz doesn't have to be a SOLE passion...

I see all too many fine youngsters RUINED by adopting attitudes that their teachers have at jazz college, that unfortunately I see a little bit in yourself, from time to time... And that attitude is that basically ALL music other than jazz is somehow inferior, that jazz is the pinnacle of expression, and to play anything else for a living is an admission of failure.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Jazz is a wonderful form of music, a true American artform, but it is not the only game in town. Classical music demands at least (if not more!) dedication and technique, and most popular forms of music need skills that, let's face it, will never be achieved by most (otherwise we'd ALL be having hits!). Ethnic and folk musics need the pupil to be as steeped in the form as jazz, otherwise it becomes a melange, and loses it's purity. Film music, as you know, requires skills WAY beyond a jazz education.

But all too many jazz educators look down on ANYTHING other than jazz at it's highest level, and that attitude is contagious, especially to young, unformed minds. It is no less blinkered than classical academics pooh-poohing anything but SERIOUS classical music. Or some yahoo going 'HEAVY METAL RULES!' at the top of his lungs

Music, in all it's forms, is a wide and deep ocean, but restrict young minds to just one lake, even if it is a Great Lake, and yes, you DO limit them later in life, even if it is just a sad dissatisfaction with having achieved great success in the music business, but not in the jazz field. What a terrible legacy to leave a youngster, the disdain for his own success

But encourage them to treat ALL forms of music more evenly, and you might just save them some of your worries down the line... Enjoy your success, and be content that many jazz greats achieved their best commercial successes by playing some of their LEAST adventurous material. Even they acknowledged that the public needs the hard stuff watered down a little!

But it sure didn't stop them from going out after the session, and blowing their hearts out to a small, devoted audience in a tiny jazz club AFTERWARDS... Best of both worlds!

Diki, you hit pretty close to home. I DO think that, for me and ONLY me, every music form pales next to jazz and classical, and often regret the fact that I wasn't committed enough to commit my life to it. Many of the players I admire are equally comfortable in both jazz and classical formats.

At least I had the sense to evaluate the lives of my heroes and decide that they were, in some cases, tortured souls.

I took the rational, safe route. Music was 1/3 of my interests. Art/graphics, film production, academic research and associated activities made up the rest. That's probably why I took the path I took. I liked other things as much as I did music. And I wanted to have a better life for me and my family than I had growing up.

Don't worry. The program we run is not completely jazz focused. I make sure of that. We start with talented disadvantaged kids, get them into a safe environment, give them a chance to earn a good quality instrument and connect them with a mentor who plays the kind of music they're interested in. Several early participants went on to the Eastman School of music, and a couple are successful gigging musicians in Chicago. Three now have their Masters in Music.

I have a personal satisfaction issue. Playing anything other than jazz is not fulfilling to me. When the check comes in for a sound score, the satisfaction is the money and the overall effectiveness of the film, not the final musical product (you heard one of my roughs...they're ALL that boring).

That's the great challenge, I think. Fulfilling work does not pay well,for me, at least, whether it's art, music, copy, graphics...whatever. Great paying work is often unimaginative, generic, etc.

The trick is to find a place where you're comfortable and enjoy it.

My problem is, I'm TOO comfortable and haven't accomplished anything noteworthy, at least in my mind, except for helping others.

I guess that's not all bad.


Russ

That's great Russ its a super good cause.....Nice thing for them all to do....
I do my part by frequently shopping in Habitat For Humanity Stores around here, I bought quite alot of furniture there knowing the money goes to people in need.



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 05-15-2008).]

24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year, Russ.

Surely a LITTLE of that can be spared to do something for 'art's sake' with no commercial consideration at all?

If it IS that important, making the time is a way to reclaim your soul. Next time you have a good session rhythm section in the studio, take ten minutes of their time and lay down a few grooves, find a core group of players you WANT to explore with, and have at it! It will make their day, and make them WANT to come back and work on it again! (You might get a price break next time... )

Diki, having fun isn't the issue for me. It is commitment that I couldn't make to music as my single professional focus, failure to accomplish things musically that my peers would recognize and respect and general disappointment in the lack of compensation/widespread recognition for superior jazz performances/innovations in general.

My job for a Jazz Arts support organization last night involved University level sidemen
playing traditional bebop at a charity event. We had blast. Everyone made $150.00 and was glad to get it.

Last month, I turned down a session on B-3 with a local guy who is a multiple Grammy winner in the Country field (an arrogant redneck jerk). Pay: about $1800.00 for the session and 2 points. That would probably have amounted to an additional $24-5,000.00 over the next 6 months and residuals after that.

I just need to accept the situation as it is, be thankful for what I have and the fact that I'm still working and concentrate on the things that bring me pleasure...family, teaching, charity work, contributions and successful projects completed by my company.

Not sure I deserve to be where I am, and am going to make helping others and helping as many as possible become exposed to music my primary focus.

Still won't wear a chicken hat or play music or venues I don't like.


So, THERE!


Russ