The late 50s and early 60s were tough times for touring jazz orchestras. What people forget is that the studios which were used for TV and radio were fertile grounds for some exciting big band sounds. These two sets show what happened once the dust from the Swing Era settled, with two orchestras being featured here.
From Hollywood, CA, Rey DeMichel brought together some top notch Angelenos such as Lanny Morgan/as, Buddy matlock/g, Teddy Edwards/ts and Dave Wells/tb to form a 12-13 member big band. With arrangements by John De Foor and Kenny Farrar, the pair of 1959 sessions include a Basie-esque “Meet the Rey” and a boppy “The Continental.” Teddy Edwards gets a bunch of room for some hip bluesy solos on “A Rompin’ We Will Go,” “Twelve Bars High” and “Ho Dere” with some nice ‘bone work by Wells on the sleek “Kingfish” and rich “Blue Rey.” A chart buster!
From the swinging Decca Pythian Temple, Jersey-bred George Romans shows the arranging skills he honed with Basie, Goodman, Kenton and Herman with these ’59 and ’61 albums. Romanis stuffed his band with all stars like Ernie Royal/tp, Doc Serverinsen/tp, Clark Terry/tp, Al Cohn/ts, Jerome Richardson/ts-fl, Eddie Costa/vib, George Duvivier/b, Barry Galbraith/g and Chuck Wayne/g to name just a handful. The 1959 album features songs by Ellington, Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart and Cole Porter, with exotic congas on “Mood Indigo,” feathery flute on “Someone to Watch Over Me” and Kentonesque brightness for “Too Darn Hot.” The 1961 album has a noir-ish “Any Old Time,” a snappy “Penthouse Serenade” and a gorgeous “My Funny Valentine.”
Both albums include informative liner notes in the booklet, with the music an oasis for Big Band fans.