Fresh Sound presents a double barrel, double-disc compilation loaded with four stunning instrumental concept albums recorded in Hollywood during the years 1957, 1960 and 1961 by ex-
Stan Kenton arranger and composer
Pete Rugolo. Born in San Piero Patti, Sicily on December 24, 1915 and raised in Santa Rosa, CA,
Rugolo studied with
Darius Milhaud and (like young
Frank Zappa) was influenced by
Igor Stravinsky. He would become somewhat notorious during the late '40s and early '50s as
Kenton's designer of challenging and futuristic band charts. During the late '50s, he worked as staff arranger for Capitol, was involved with musicals at MGM, and then came into his own as music director for Mercury Records. Opening with the bombastically bongo-ridden Capitol album "Percussion at Work," Fresh Sound's titillating tour of mannered modernity follows
Rugolo's quirky imagination through three deliberately formulated Mercury Perfect Presence Sound albums: Ten Trombones Like Two Pianos, Ten Trumpets and Two Guitars and Ten Saxophones and Two Basses. Featured players include percussionists
Shelly Manne,
Mel Lewis, Larry Bunker and
Jack Costanzo; trombonists
Frank Rosolino, Joe Howard, Milt Bernhart and Kenny Shroyer; trumpeters Manny Klein and
Pete and
Conte Candoli; saxophonists
Bud Shank and
Buddy Collette; pianists
André Previn,
Russ Freeman and
Jimmy Rowles; guitarists
Howard Roberts,
Laurindo Almeida and
Al Viola as well as bassists
Red Mitchell and Joe Mondragon. Repertoire ranges from mainstream pop and jazz standards through classic jazz and antiquated traditional fare to cooled bop and of course
Rugolo's own patented brand of modernistic chamber jazz informed as much by 20th century European innovators as by the persistently theatrical, often aggressively posed productions of
Stan Kenton. Small wonder
Rugolo went directly from this kind of work to composing film scores and crafting dynamic themes for TV shows such as "Run for Your Life," "The Fugitive," "Richard Diamond, Private Detective," "The Stranger," "Felony Squad," "Lie Detector" and "The Bold Ones." This action-packed anthology is ideal for highway driving, retro-lounging, medicated housework and buffet snacking. ~ arwulf arwulf