Five-Star Collection... The Sauter-Finegan Orchestra

The Sauter-Finegan Orchestra

The Sons Of Sauter-Finegan

To anyone who has never enjoyed the felicities of life in a large family, the purpose and particular joy of this present album may appear somewhat obscure, but on the other hand, those who have grown up in the midst of countless brothers (or sisters) and have been saddled with years of hand-me-downs will know at once just what it is that has brought us together. We may not be members of a regulation-type family in the generally accepted sense of the term, but it is one that swings like few others — and we ask you, how many other families get a chance to carry out the work of their parents as we do that of Eddie and Bill? It's sometimes difficult (if not impossible) to follow, but man, we dig it!

You are all undoubtedly aware of the size of our musical family — unfortunately, we have only one sister, but man, there are brothers coming out of every instrument imaginable, not to mention the woodwork. Not that it isn’t the greatest, but it's always nice to get away for a little vacation even if it means nothing more than traipsing down to the nearest recording studio. So, when RCA Victor's Jack Lewis got together with our parental team and suggested that the older members of the family cut some sides, we were all for it. But don't get the wrong idea — our beards are not quite that white, it’s just that we've been around longer than some of the other S-F kids. And just to make things complete, we thought we should invite one of the parents to sit in with us — it turned out to be Bill Finegan on piano, but if we had used any kazoos it would inevitably have been the estimable Mr. Sauter. He did show up, however, to lead his renowned choir. 

Of course, the making of these records did not actually constitute a vacation, for at the time they were being cut we were also fulfilling an engagement at the New York night spot known as Basin Street. But the music itself is a distinet change from what we usually play with the band. There, in the intricate, colorful, and always swinging arrangements by Eddie and Bill, we join all our other brothers in a massive panorama of sound — we only rarely receive the opportunity to show what we can do in a solo capacity. Not that we're complaining, for there’s really no musical satisfaction quite like playing the products of the Sauter-Finegan imagination, but every musician likes to blow on his own every once in a while, and on these dates we blew to our hearts’ content. Bill built some simple arrangements around each one of us, and from that 

point it was every man for himself.

(...)

Come to think of it, this was something of a vacation — but most of all, it was just great fun. There's something about spontaneous creation that lifts all of us, in an individual way, just a little higher, and especially when it's something we don't do every day, it comes as almost a new experience. At the present writing, we're back with all our countless brothers, once again in the midst of recorders, kazoos, finger cymbals and elephant bells, but for us — and we hone for you, too — the melody lingers on. *(from the liner notes)*

There have been and continue to be many brilliant sidemen in the Sauter-Finegan entourage, but the extent of each man's expressivity has been constricted by the gimmicky, heavily pretentious book of the band. Now, thanks to Jack Lewis of Victor, several of these sidemen have been gathered into small units and have been given ample solo space in loose "head" arrangements. The sides were cut several months ago.

The musicians are: Bobby Nichols, trumpet and fluegel horn; Nick Travis, trumpet and valve trombone; Sonny Russo, trombone; Tommy Mitchell, trombone; Joe Venuto, marimba and vibes; Francis James, bass; Mousey Alexander, drums; Bill Finegan, piano.

Everyone on the date is in fine form. Sonny Russo, (now with Neal Hefti) indicates again he's one of the better young trombonists in jazz although, like his contemporary, Frank Rosolino, Sonny is ill-advised to sing. Mitchell also shows well. Nichols and Travis play with moving warmth and impressive musicianship. Venuto makes it on his one solo band. Though I respect Mousey Alexander, the rhythm section isn't as apt as it could have been for the small units that make up the date. It could flow more, particularly on the up-tempos.

Nichols has two ballads to himself that he plays beautifully, and he duets with Travis on three other numbers. Russo has two to himself, and everyone joins in the last number. Of special interest are two of the Nichols-Travis numbers, Non-Identical Twins and Two Bats in a Cave. Both have the two hornmen alone — without rhythm section. Their third duet, Nip and Tuck — with rhythm — is also absorbing. Good recorded sound throughout. One of the more imaginative albums of the year.

*Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, September 21, 1955 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Back In Your Own Backyard

(Rose, Jolson, Dreyer)

2 - I Surrender Dear

(Barris, Clifford)

3 - Street Of Dreams

(Young, Lewis)

4 - Lip Service

(Russo, Mitchell)

5 - Two Bats In A Cave

(Nichols, Travis)

6 - Mad About The Boy

(Coward)

Side 2

7 - Over The Rainbow

(Arlen, Harburg)

8 - Non-Identical Twins

(Nichols, Travis)

9 - Easy To Remember

(Rodgers, Hart)

10 - Nip And Tuck

(Nichols, Travis)

11 - Fascinating Rhythm

(G. & I. Gershwin)

12 - Procrastination

(Finegan)

Eddie Sauter (arrangements, direction), Bill Finegan (piano, celesta [#7]), 

Bobby Nichols (trumpet, flugelhorn [#7]), Nick Travis (trumpet, valve trombone [#9]),

Sonny Russo (trombone, vocals [#1]), Tommy Mitchell (trombone),

Joe Venuto (marimba [#2], vibes), Francis James (bass), Mousey Alexander (drums).

Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, New York City,

January 15 (#1, #3, #10, #11), 16 (#2, #5, #6, #9) and 20 (#4, #7, #8, #12), 1955

Hal Schaefer - Rare And Oscure Jazz Albums

Like Erroll Garner, Hal Schaefer had his own distinctive jazz piano style and transformed every song he played into pure magic. He could turn standards inside out with a swinging fury and, with his right hand, whip up improvised lines that left listeners dazzled.

Born in 1925 in Queens, N.Y., Schaefer began playing professionally as a teen at resorts in the Catskill Mountains a few hours north of New York.

By the mid-1940s, he was playing and recording with Tommy Dorsey and Boyd Raeburn. During this time, he led a trio that played during intermissions at Duke Ellington concerts.

In 1947, he settled in Los Angeles and teamed with vocalist Peggy Lee and her husband, guitarist Dave Barbour, on record dates. He also squeezed in a session with Bob Cooper's band backing vocalist June Christy. In the early 1950s, he made records for MGM with Woody Herman and singer Billy Eckstine.

By early 1953, he was swept by the movie industry and began working as Marilyn Monroe's vocal coach and accompanist, helping her get up to speed for her solo vocal on Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend for the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a song he arranged while working closely with film choreographer Jack Cole. He also worked with her on the music and arrangements for "There's No Business Like Show Business" and "River of No Return" in 1954.

Like many men who came into Monroe's orbit, Schaefer was lulled into thinking their relationship was more than it was. According to Schaefer, he became her lover in 1954 and confidant during the nine months she was married to Joe DiMaggio and beyond. Then Schaefer's relationship with the actress began slipping away. In July 1955, he said, he tried to commit suicide over his inability to hold onto her.

During this period of sexual despair, Schaefer recorded two albums for RCA as a leader — Just Too Much, a trio date months before his suicide attempt, and Jazz Workshop with a sextet months after being released from the hospital. Both are glorious recordings. 

On Just Too Much, recorded in late 1954 and early 1955, the album featured Schaefer (p,cel), Joe Mondragon (b) and Alvin Stoller (d). Schaefer sounds spectacular throughout the album, taking on "Thou Swell", "The Song Is You", "It Could Happen to You" and "St. Louis Blues" among others, creating impossibly inventive renditions that became musical catnip for the listener.

On the Jazz Workshop album, recorded over three sessions in the fall of 1955, the tracks on the first date were "Spring Is Here", "Isn't It Romantic", "Real Lee" and "A New Sound". The band Schaefer arranged featured Jimmy Nottingham and Nick Travis (tp), Schaefer (p), Milt Hinton (b), Don Lamond and Ed Shaughnessy (d).

On "Blues Skies", "This One's for Jack", "A Song of Love" and "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter", the personnel included Billy Byers, Urbie Green, Fred Ohms and Chauncey Welsch (tb); Tom Mitchell (b-tb); Hal Schaefer (p); Milt Hinton (b) and Osie Johnson (d).

And on "Imagination", "Dancing in the Dark", "Of Things Gone By" and "Let's Have a Cerebration", the musicians were Hal McKusick, Sam Marowitz and Phil Woods (as); Hal Schaefer (p); Milt Hinton (b) and Osie Johnson (d).

"This One's for Jack" must have been for Jack Lewis, RCA's head of jazz A&R at the time, when the 12-inch album format was brand new for pop records. Lewis created the Jazz Workshop series to give top artists a chance to lead a recording session of their own conception. The series also let Lewis quickly fill his quota of newly recorded albums for RCA's 12-inch LP pipeline.

Prior to Schaefer's suicide attempt, a jealous Joe DiMaggio with Frank Sinatra and others broke down the door of the wrong apartment at 3 a.m. looking for Monroe and Schaefer. Following this event, the pianist was regularly harassed in the days before trolling and social media. So much so that Schaefer feared his hands would be broken by goons in retribution and left Hollywood in the late 1950s.

In New York, he continued to play and record jazz albums as well as coach star singers such as Barbra Streisand, Chita Rivera, Rita Moreno and Julie Wilson. He moved to Florida in the 1990s and died in December 2012. Marilyn Monroe died of a barbiturate overdose in August 1962 that was widely considered a suicide. *Marc Myers *

Hal Schaefer

Rare And Oscure Jazz Albums

Hal Schaefer (1925-2012) was an extremely talented, thoughtful, and polished New York pianist who, by the age of 30, had already immersed himself in many musical circles. From an inauspicious start as a teenager playing with Lee Castle, he went on to join Ina Ray Hutton’s band for two years before settling in Los Angeles in 1943. There, he played with the bands of Benny Carter, Harry James, and Boyd Raeburn, with whom he gained notable recognition.

From the late 1940s onwards he accompanied Peggy Lee and Billy Eckstine before breaking into the world of film as an arranger and rehearsal pianist. His studio work would include the lucrative role of vocal coach to some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including Marilyn Monroe.

In 1954, affected by personal problems, Hal decided to leave the movieland scene behind to start a jazz recording career. His debut album as a leader, Just Too Much, came out in 1955 on the RCA Victor label, on which Hal performed in a trio with Joe Mondragon and Alvin Stoller and attracted considerable attention from jazz fans and critics alike.

Hal returned to New York City in 1955, the same year that RCA Victor inaugurated a new series of recordings titled The Jazz Workshop, which was specifically intended to showcase new ideas in jazz orchestration, composition, and instrumentation. His producer Jack Lewis asked Hal to record his second album as part of the series. With the simple title of Hal Schaefer, the music featured Hal’s creative writing as well as his skilled andmindful approach as a soloist. For this project he used piano, bass, and drums, adding different instrumentation in each of the three recording sessions: one with three reeds, one with five trombones, and the last with two trumpets, himself on harpsichord and an extra drummer. There are several stimulating as well as humorous moments in the writing, largely involving the freshly changing textures with especially charming ballads and sparkling new ideas in jazz. *Jordi Pujol*

1 - All The Things You Are

(Kern, Hammerstein II)

2 - I’ll Remember April

(Ray, DePaul, Johnson)

3 - You Are Too Beautiful

(Rodgers, Hart)

4 - Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

(Arlen, Koehler)

5 - I’m Glad There Is You

(Madeira, Dorsey)

6 - The Song Is You

(Kern, Hammerstein II)

7 - Thou Swell

(Rodgers, Hart)

8 - St. Louis Blues

(W.C. Handy)

9 - Yes

(Hal Schaefer)

10 - Have You Met Miss Jones?

(Rodgers, Hart)

11 - You Stepped Out Of A Dream

(Brown, Kahn)

12 - Montevideo

(Hal Schaefer)

13 - Dancing In The Dark

(Dietz, Schwartz)

14 - Imagination

(Van Heusen, Burke)

15 - This One's For Jack

(Hal Schaefer)

16 - A Song Of Love

(Hal Schaefer)

17 - Isn't It Romantic

(Rodgers, Hart)

18 - A New Sound For The Blue

(Hal Schaefer)

19 - Let’s Have A Cerebration

(Hal Schaefer)

20 - Of Things Gone By

(Hal Schaefer)

21 - Blue Skies

(Irving Berlin)

22 - I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter

(Young, Ahlert)

23 - Spring Is Here

(Rodgers, Hart)

24 - Real Lee

(Hal Schaefer)

#1 to #12: from Just Too Much: The Progressive Piano of Hal Schaefer (RCA Victor LPM-1106)

Hal Schaefer (piano), Joe Mondragon (bass), Alvin Stoller (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, December 27, 1954 (#5, #6, #7, #12), January 4, 1955 (#2, #4, #8, #10) and January 10, 1955 (#1, #3, #9, #11).

#13 to #24, from The RCA Victor Jazz Workshop (RCA Victor LPM-1199)

#13, #14, #19, #20:

Hal McKusick, Sam Marowitz, Phil Woods (alto saxes); Hal Schaefer (piano); Milt Hinton (bass); Osie Johnson (drums).

Recorded in New York City, November 28, 1955.

#15, #16, #21 , #22: 

Billy Byers, Urbie Green, Freddie Ohms, Chauncey Welsh (trombones); Tommy Mitchell (bass trombone); Hal Schaefer (piano); Milt Hinton (bass); Osie Johnson (drums).

Recorded in New York City, November 9, 1955.

#17, #18, #23, #24: 

Jimmy Nottingham, Nick Travis (trumpets); Hal Schaefer (harpsichord); Milt Hinton (bass); Don Lamond, Ed Shaughnessy (drums).

Recorded in New York City, October 17, 1955.

The RCA Victor Jazz Workshop #2

Hal Schaefer

The RCA Victor Jazz Workshop

The RCA VICTOR JAZZ WORKSHOP opened its doors recently to the accompaniment of a suitable fanfare by Al Cohn and his chosen trumpets, in an album entitled Four Brass, One Tenor (RCA Victor LPM-1161). 

At that time we indicated that this exciting new series would be a transmission belt for new ideas in jazz orchestration, or sometimes for experiments in instrumentation. The present set by Hal Schaefer claims both these distinctions. Hal's background provided him with all the technical tools essential to a creative craftsman in a jazz workshop. 

On this album, Hal decided (and RCA Victor's Jack Lewis had a major hand in shaping the decision) he would take the opportunity to spread himself. The RCA VICTOR JAZZ WORKSHOP provided the ideal occasion for a fuller display of his talents. 

"In my mind", says Hal, "this was to be predorainantly an arranging and composing album, designed primarily to exhibit my writing rather than my playing. Later on, of course, I'd like to make another piano album, but for this set I really worked hard on getting everything written for maximum effect and maximum sustained interest. Every note had to be pertect; every musician had to understand and enjoy what was intended in the writing".

I'm sure you will agree that as long as it can develop such talents as Hal Schaefer’s, the RCA VICTOR JAZZ WORKSHOP is making an important contribution to the entire course of contemporary jazz. *Leonard Feather (liner notes)*

On this RCA Victor Jazz Workshop production, pianist-writer Schaefer heads three different units. On one, the band was made up of altoist Hal McKusick, Sam Marowitz, and Fudd Gumjaw (Phil Woods), with Schaefer, Milt Hinton, and Osie Johnson. The second had trombonists Billy Byers, Urbie Green, Freddie Ohms, Chauncey Welsh, and bass trombonist Tommy Mitchell with the same rhythm section. The last combined trumpeters Jimmy Nottingham and Nick Travis; drummers Don Lamond and Ed Shaughnessy; Hinton on bass; Schaefer on harpsichord, an instrument he plays with unattractive heaviness.

There are several stimulating as well as humorous moments in the writing, largely involving the freshly changing textures, with the ballads especially charming. But too much of the scoring is static, and it would have been better to have developed some of the ideas further rather than squeezing 12 tunes into one set (especially a workshop project). Ingenuity of instrumentation and cleverness of ideas aren’t enough to make for successful, breathing experimentation. A man also must have much to say that is emotionally convincing, and so far Schaefer hasn’t. The musicianship of all involved is excellent. *Nat Hentoff, Down Beat, April 18, 1956*

Hal Schaefer (1925-2012) was an extremely talented, thoughtful, and polished New York pianist who, by the age of 30, had already immersed himself in many musical circles. From an inauspicious start as a teenager playing with Lee Castle, he went on to join Ina Ray Hutton’s band for two years before settling in Los Angeles in 1943. There, he played with the bands of Benny Carter, Harry James, and Boyd Raeburn, with whom he gained notable recognition.

From the late 1940s onwards he accompanied Peggy Lee and Billy Eckstine before breaking into the world of film as an arranger and rehearsal pianist. His studio work would include the lucrative role of vocal coach to some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including Marilyn Monroe.

In 1954, affected by personal problems, Hal decided to leave the movieland scene behind to start a jazz recording career. Hal returned to New York City in 1955, the same year that RCA Victor inaugurated a new series of recordings titled "The Jazz Workshop", which was specifically intended to showcase new ideas in jazz orchestration, composition, and instrumentation. His producer Jack Lewis asked Hal to record his second album as part of the series. With the simple title of Hal Schaefer, the music featured Hal’s creative writing as well as his skilled andmindful approach as a soloist. For this project he used piano, bass, and drums, adding different instrumentation in each of the three recording sessions: one with three reeds, one with five trombones, and the last with two trumpets, himself on harpsichord and an extra drummer. There are several stimulating as well as humorous moments in the writing, largely involving the freshly changing textures with especially charming ballads and sparkling new ideas in jazz. *Jordi Pujol*

Side 1

1 - Dancing In The Dark

(Dietz, Schwartz)

2 - Imagination

(Van Heusen, Burke)

3 - This One's For Jack

(Hal Schaefer)

4 - A Song Of Love

(Hal Schaefer)

5 - Isn't It Romantic

(Rodgers, Hart)

6 - A New Sound For The Blues

(Hal Schaefer)

Side 2

7 - Let's Have A Celebration

(Hal Schaefer)

8 - Of Things Gone By

(Hal Schaefer)

9 - Blue Skies

(Irving Berlin)

10 - I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter

(Young, Ahlert)

11 - Spring Is Here

(Rodgers, Hart)

12 - Real Lee

(Hal Schaefer)

#1, #2, #7, #8: 

Hal McKusick, Sam Marowitz, Phil Woods [a.k.a. Fudd Ganjaw] (alto saxes); Hal Schaefer (piano); Milt Hinton (bass); Osie Johnson (drums).

Recorded in New York City, November 28, 1955.

#3, #4, #9, #10:

Billy Byers, Urbie Green, Chauncey Welsh, Freddie Ohms (trombones); Tommy Mitchell (bass trombone); Hal Schaefer (piano); Milt Hinton (bass); Osie Johnson (drums).

Recorded in New York City, November 9, 1955.

#5, #6, #11, #12:

Jimmy Nottingham, Nick Travis (trumpets); Hal Schaefer (piano, harpsichord); Milt Hinton (bass); Don Lamond, Ed Shaughnessy (drums).

Recorded in New York City, October 17, 1955.