Search - Shorty Rogers :: The Wizard of Oz and Other Harold Arlen Songs

Swingin' down the yellow-brick road

Bomojaz | South Central PA, USA | 08/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a tribute album to Harold Arlen, with about half the tunes coming from THE WIZARD OF OZ, and all of it spotlighting Shorty's arranging skills. Shorty is an excellent arranger, very sophisticated and very ambitious. Solo space is limited in this big band outing, but Jimmy Giuffre, Herb Geller, Pete Jolly, Barney Kessel, Bill Holman, and Larry Bunker all contribute excellent solos throughout the proceedings. On the up-tempo wailer GET HAPPY about 8 different soloists jump in for 8 bars each: tag team jazz at its finest. THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC starts off in an Afro-Cuban bag and then goes straight 4/4 for the mellow solo spots. The entire brass section is tightly muted for the theme statement on LET'S FALL IN LOVE, and then the mutes come out and the contrast is really nice. DING DONG! THE WITCH IS DEAD swings like crazy with the rhythm section really pushing hard. Shorty's arrangement of IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN is particularly attractive, as is Jimmy Giuffre's clarinet theme statement on the slow BLUES IN THE NIGHT. All in all, this is a most handsome big band recording of Arlen tunes, swinging and engaging from beginning to end."

Worth Searching For!

Steven Jay | Denver CO | 07/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All of trumpeter/arranger Shorty Rogers' recordings from the 1950s (which were quite influential on both arrangers and cool-toned soloists) are well worth searching for. Unfortunately, many are out of print, including half of this excellent LP; the second side has been reissued on the Bluebird CD Swings. On the first side, Rogers and his Orchestra (which includes such fine soloists as Jimmy Giuffre on clarinet and tenor, valve trombonist Bob Enevoldsen, altoists Bud Shank and Herb Geller, guitarist Barney Kessel and pianist Pete Jolly) perform five familiar songs from Oz, plus "The Jitterbug," which did not make it into the final cut. This date is rounded out by fresh versions of five of Arlen's most famous songs, including "Get Happy," "Blues In the Night" and "That Old Black Magic." Wonderful music.

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