- Baa-Too-Kee (Laurindo Almeida / Dante Varela) (2:08) – Carlos Barbosa-Lima, guitar
Is this Brazilian music or classical music? Neither Carlos Barbosa-Lima, the performer nor Laurindo Almeida, the composer, were limited by labels. This track was on what was otherwise a classical guitar album.
- Blues for Pepper (Ray Brown) (4:52) – Gene Harris, piano; Jon Faddis & Conte Candoli, trumpets; Plas Johnson, tenor saxophone; Bill Watrous, trombone; Herb Ellis, guitar; Ray Brown, bass; and Jeff Hamilton, drums
I was Ray Brown’s A&R guy and asked me to come by this session which ultimately led to the creation of the Philip Morris Superband. The owner of the label told me not to go to the session. I went anyway and it turned out to be one of the most illuminating I ever witnessed. Pepper refers to Freddie Green who had recently passed.
- But in the Morning, No (Cole Porter) (2:37) George Shearing, piano; Barry Tuckwell, French horn; and Grady Tate, drums
Is this jazz? I don’t know, but the playing is phenomenal. Great stories from a great day in New York.
- Lover Man (James Davis, Jimmy Sherman & Roger Ramirez) (7:28) – Benny Carter, alto saxophone; Joe Wilder, flugelhorn; Gene Harris, piano; John Clayton, bass; and Ed Bickert, guitar
Ah, Benny Carter, there is a reason they called him King. What a blast putting together this band! Joe Wilder had a big impact on my life. I got to sit between him and Ernie Royal in a rehearsal for the the Dick Cavett Show while in high school.
- Meet Me with Your Black Drawers On (Edited) (Jeannie & Jimmy Cheatham) (4:44) The Sweet Baby Blues Band with Curtis Peagler, tenor Saxophone; Red Callender, bass; plus Snooky Young and the glee club
My first solo flight as a producer and I couldn’t have had a better experience. This song was a hit among urban blues fans and sold very well. This is my favorite type of music where the audience is part of the performance and music making is a community event. You can hear me in the glee club. I remember walking down the hallway at Ocean Way (the old United/Western) with bassist Red Callender and him motioning to one of the smaller studios and saying, “That’s where I recorded with Art Tatum.”
- Never Make Your Move Too Soon (Edited) (Nesbert Hooper, Jr. & Will Jennings) (4:15) – Capp/Pierce Juggernaut with Red Holloway, tenor saxophone, and Ernestine Anderson, vocal
How about a live date with no sound check, a temperamental vocalist, and a horribly out of tune piano? It’s like everything that could possibly go right went right and nothing went wrong. As someone advised me at the time. “Take credit for being brilliant, you would certainly have gotten all the blame if it went wrong.”
