Sandole Brothers And John La Porta - Rare And Obscure Jazz Albums

About Modern Music from Philadelphia:

Operating solely on an artistic basis, The Brothers Sandole band was not a commercial venture, but a band decidedly different, daring and experimental. Dennis and Adolph Sandole were music teachers in Philadelphia, who actually wanted to keep teaching but felt that their music was completely original, and so harmonically different in scope that it deserved to be heard on its own merits. The dense, full character of its original figures gave the unit a distinct big band sound, and all the improvisation fits into a well-written pattern. Four of the ten scores presented here are by Dennis, two of them so concise they are over in amatter of seconds; the rest are by Adolph. All compositions by the Sandole brothers are actually cleverly planned pictures, and flawlessly performed. You'll find the entire album to be a rewarding experience, but unfortunately, it was the only one they recorded. A must-have for any jazz collector. *Jordi Pujol*

Incredible jazz material from one of the least-known and least-appreciated groups working on the east coast during the 50s. Dennis and Adolphe Sandole had an incredible talent for writing -- and in the short time they recorded together, they served up some amazing tracks with a wonderful group sound that recalls some of the Mingus Jazz Workshop recordings with John La Porta. *dustygroove.com*

About Conceptions:

John La Porta was a most skilled musician and teacher. He was always looking for new forms of expression, and maybe that is why he was often misunderstood. His distinctive approach to jazz was never casual, and his album Conceptions might be the most pristine reflection of his ideas. His objective was to obtain the widest possible variety of colors, dynamics and moods by using various combinations of instruments. All the writing here is by La Porta except for Juan Tizol's Perdido. The Septet compositions offer awider set of colors to work with and a wider ensemble sound, setting a good line and a developing, satisfying structure. The Quartet sides provide for a more virtuoso type of playing and rhythmic experimentation, difficult to handle in a larger group. The Duets are five very short dialogues between La Porta, alto sax, and Louis Mucci, trumpet, and provide humorous divertissements between the longer compositions. Throughout these performances, La Porta plays alto sax and clarinet with strength, beauty and consistency, Mucci is shown as a careful trumpeter with a beautiful tone and lyrical feeling, while the underrated pianist Wally Cirillo also has several fine passages. *Jordi Pujol*

The modernist clarinet-alto sax man plays mainly his own compositions. As a writer or as a soloist, he's interested in small doses, but interest wanes with over exposure as he never catches fire. Avant-garde followers will support this favorite of the clique, but the market is limited to the cognoscenti. *Billboard, September 22, 1956*

1 - Wings Over Persia

(Adolph Sandole)

2 - Way Down

(Adolph Sandole)

3 - Drums

(Adolph Sandole)

4 - Perhaps One Touf Of...

(Dennis Sandole)

5 - Grenadine

(Dennis Sandole)

6 - The Boys From Istambul

(Adolph Sandole)

7 - The Tamaret

(Dennis Sandole)

8 - Arabu

(Adolph Sandole)

9 - Pieces Of Eight

(Adolph Sandole)

10 - Magic Carpet

(Adolph Sandole)

11 - Concertina For Clarinet

(John La Porta)

12 - Nightfly Vigil

(John La Porta)

13 - Perdido

(Juan Tizol)

14 - Triplets, You Say?

(John La Porta)

15 - Small Blue Opus

(John La Porta)

16 - Littel Fantasy

(John La Porta)

17 - Absentee

(John La Porta)

18 - Washday

(John La Porta)

19 - En Rapport

(John La Porta)

20 - Lou's Tune

(John La Porta)

21 - Fermé La Porta

(John La Porta)

#1 to #10: The Brothers Sandole

from the album Modern Music from Philadelphia (Fantasy 3-209)

Art Farmer (trumpet); Sonny Russo (trombone); John La Porta (alto sax); Teo Macero (tenor sax); Adolph Sandole [#2, #4, #5, #6, #7, #9, #11], George Barrow  [#1, #3, #8, #10] (baritone saxes); Al Del Governatore (piano); Dennis Sandole (guitar); Wendell Marshall [#2, #4, #5, #6, #7, #9], Milt Hinton [#1, #3, #8, #10] (basses); Clem DeRosa (drums).

Recorded at Fine Sound, New York City, July 1955.

#11 to #21: John La Porta Septet, Quartet and Duo

from the album Conceptions (Fantasy 3-228)

John La Porta (clarinet, alto sax), Louis Mucci (trumpet), Sonny Russo (trombone), Sol Schlinger (baritone sax), Wally Cirillo (piano), Wendell Marshall (bass), Clem DeRosa (drums).

Recorded at Fine Sound, New York City, June 4 and 5, 1956.