No Strings Sextet And Mannie Klein's Sextet - Rare And Obscure Jazz Albums

 

Peter Matz (1928–2002) was an American musician, composer, arranger, and conductor. His illustrious musical career in film, theater, television, and studio recording spanned five decades, during which he collaborated with several renowned artists, including Marlene Dietrich, Anita Ellis, Noël Coward, and Barbra Streisand. In 1962, he conducted the orchestra for the Broadway show "No Strings" and led the sextet from the production in this jazz-oriented rendition of the musical's songs. The combo performs the songs in a light and breezy style, enhancing the Richard Rodgers tunes with finesse. Matz's fresh and imaginative arrangements of Rodgers' superb "No Strings" score are brought to life by six exceptionally talented wind players and two of the best rhythm musicians in the business. Qualities, which fully highlight the essentially lyrical nature of these songs.

Emmanuel Klein (1908–1994) was an American jazz trumpeter closely associated with the Swing Era. He was active throughout the 1930s, working as a studio musician and performing with bands such as Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and others. In 1937, he moved to California and joined Frank Trumbauer's orchestra, quickly becoming one of the most sought-after trumpet players in Hollywood studios. In this album, he and a group of West Coast jazz musicians perform selections from the highly successful Rodgers and Hammerstein II musical "The Sound of Music" with taste and imagination, resulting in an outstanding recording. The arrangements were crafted by Henry Beau and Bobby Hammack. For this session, Klein assembled a stellar line-up of musicians, including Bobby Hammack on piano, Ronnie Lang on saxophone, Al Hendrickson on guitar (alternating with Bobby Gibbons), Morty Corb on bass, and Frank Flynn (alternating with Irving Cottler) on drums and percussion. *Jordi Pujol*

If you are a fan of the "Cool School" of jazz from the 50s and 60s, you're in for a treat on this disc of some real obscurities. The first album on this single disc is a 1962 session arranged by Peter Matz, who put together a team of oboe, flute, bass clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax, bassoon as well as trumpet and trombone for the pianoless rhythm team of Joe Benjamin/b and Ronnie Bedford/dr-bong. The result is a lithe a floating collection of concise readings of material from the Richard Rogers Broadway production No Strings. There are some richly swinging moments such as on "Eager Beaver" and velvety reed work on "The Sweetest Sounds" and "Be My Host" with solos weaving in and out to n ever overstay their welcome. Amber moods.

Music from The Sound Of Music  is arranged by Heinie Beau and Bobby Hammack as its performed by trumpeter Mannie Klein and his team of Hammack/p, Ronny Lang/as-fl, Al Hendrickson-Bobby Gibbons/g, Morty Corb/b, Irv Cottler/dr and Frank Flynn/vib-perc. The charts here are quite clever, having lives of their own, as on a tropical take of "Climb Every Mountain", a bopping "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" and a deep dig on "Do-Re-Mi". The hills are alive! *George W. Harris*

1 - The Sweetest Sounds

2 - Loads Of Love

3 - The Man Who Has Everything

4 - Be My Host

5 - La-La-La

6 - Love Makes The World Go

7 - An Orthodox Fool

8 - Look No Further

9 - "Maine"

10 - Nobody Told Me

11 - Eager Beaver

12 - No Strings

13 - How Can Our Love Survive

14 - Maria

15 - An Ordinary Couple

16 - Do-Re-Mi

17 - The Lonely Goatherd

18 - My Favorite Things

19 - The Sound Of Music

20 - No Way To Stop It

21 - Climb Every Mountain

22 - Sixteen Going On Seventeen

(All compositions by Richard Rodgers)

#1 to #12, from the album "No Strings" by the No Strings Sextet (Columbia CS-8617)

Music by Richard Rodgers from the Broadway Production "No Strings". Arranged & Conducted by Peter Matz.

Wally Wegner (flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet, baritone sax), Aaron Sachs (clarinet, alto sax solos), Ernie Mauro (oboe, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone), Wally Kane (bassoon, flute, bass clarinet, baritone sax solos), Jimmy Sedlar (trumpet), Jimmy Dahl (trombone), Joe Benjamin (bass), Ronnie Bedford (drums, bongos).

Recorded in New York City, May 1962.

#13 to #22 from the album "The Sound of Music" by Mannie Klein and His Sextet (Imperial LP 12038)

Music by Richard Rodgers from the Broadway Production "The Sound of Music". Arrangements by Heinie Beau and Bobby Hammack.

Mannie Klein (trumpet); Ronny Lang (alto sax, flute); Bobby Hammack (piano); Al Hendrickson [#13, #15, #19, #21, #22], Bobby Gibbons [#14, #16, #17, #18, #20] (guitars); Morty Corb (bass); Frank Flynn (vibes, percussion, drums); Irv Cottler (drums, bongos). 

Recorded at United Recorders, Hollywood, October 22 (#13, #15, #19, #21, #22) and 23 (#14, #16, #17, #18, #20), 1959.