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PETE RUGOLO Four Classic Albums AVID JAZZ AMSC 1176

CD 1

Pete Rugolo & His Orchestra Adventures In Rhythm

1. Here’s Pete [2:23]

2. My Funny Valentine [2:45]

3. Mixin’ The Blues [3:09]

4. Poinciana (Song of the Tree) [2:15]

5. Rugolo Meets Shearing [2:45]

6. Sambama [2:24]

7. King Porter Stomp [2:46]

8. You Are Too Beautiful [4:47]

9. Jingle Bells Mambo [2:50]

10. There Will Never Be Another You [2:18]

11. Conversation [3:47]

12. Good Evening Friends Boogie [3:18]

    Recorded in Los Angeles, April 28-29, May 10, June 21, 1954

    Personnel:

    Bud Shank- alto sax;

    Bob Cooper- tenor sax, oboe;

    Shorty Rogers, Pete Candoli, Maynard Ferguson- trumpets;

    Milt Bernhart, Herbie Harper- trombones;

    Bob Gordon, Jimmy Guiffre- baritone sax;

    Harry Klee- flute;

    Claude Williamson- piano;

    Laurendo Almeida- guitar;

    Bernie Madison- timpani;

    Shelly Manne- drums

    Pete Rugolo & His Orchestra with the Rugolettes Rugolomania

13. Gone With The Wind [2:29]

14. In A Sentimental Mood [3:22]

15. Bobbin’ With Bob [2:46]

16. 4:20 A.M. [2:29]

17. Little White Lies [3:07]

18. Me Next! [2:55]

19. Bongo Dance [4:28]

20. Intermezzo [3:43]

21. Montevideo [2:54]

22. I’ve Had My Moments [2:46]

23. Everything I Have Is Yours [3:03]

24. Hornorama [3:24]

    Recorded in New York City, Oct. 11, 1954

    Personnel:

    Chaset Dean, Dave Schildkraut- alto sax

    Joe Megro- alto & baritone sax

    Bob Gordon, Marty Flax- baritone sax

    Herbie Mann- flute, tenor sax

    Doug Mettome, John Wilson, Larry Fain, Leon Meriam- trumpets

    Bill Barber- tuba

    Eddie Bert, Frank Rehak, Kai Winding, Milt Gold- trombones

    Johnny Graas, Julius Watkins, Stan Paley- French Horns

    Gordon Ell- piano

    Howard Roberts, Perry Lopez- guitar

    Harry Babison, Whitey Mitchell- bass

    Jerry Segal, Teddy Sommer- percussion

    Jack Constanzo- bongos

    Total Running Time: [71:51]

    CD 2

    Pete Rugolo Music For Hi-Fi Bugs

1. For Hi-Fi Bugs [3:28]

2. Once In A While [3:45]

3. Fawncy Meeting You [4:46]

4. These Foolish Things [4:46]

5. Later Team [3:08]

6. Oscar and Pete’s Blues [8:23]

7. Dream Of You [5:05]

8. Snowfall [3:20]

   Recorded in Los Angeles, July 9-10, 1956

   Personnel:

   Pete Rugolo- piano, arranger & conductor

   Chas T. Gentry, Clarence Karella, Dave Pell- vibes

   David Klein, Don Palladino, Frank Rosolino, Milt Bernbardt- trombones

   Gene Cipriano, George Roberts, Herbie Harper- trombones

   Harry Klee- flute

   Howard Roberts- guitar

   Joe Mondragon- bass

   John Cave, Lawrence Bunker, Marion Childers- trumpets

   Maynard Ferguson, Walter P. Candoli- trumpets

   Ray S. Linn, Ronald Langinger, Russell Freeman- piano

   Shelly Manne- drums

   Vincent DeRosa- French Horn

   Pete Rugolo Orchestra Rugolo Plays Kenton

9. Eager Beaver [3:02]

10. Painted In Rhythm [3:37]

11. Minor Riff [2:28]

12. Concerto For Doghouse [2:43]

13. Sunset Tower [2:28]

14. Concerto To End All Concerto [5:19]

15. Artistry In Rhythm [3:51]

16. Southern Scandal [3:22]

17. Opus In Pastels [3:03]

18. Theme To The West [2:53]

19. Artistry In Boogie [3:59]

20. Capital Punishment [2:27]

    Recorded in Hollywood, California Oct. 25-26, 1958

    Personnel:

    Bob Cooper, Bud Shank, Chuck Gentry, Dave Pell, Harry Klee- saxophones

    Dick Nash- trombone, tracks 10-14, 16-19

    Frank Rosolino, Harry Betts- trombones, tracks 9, 15, 20

    Milt Bernhardt, Kenny Shroyer- trombones

Total Running Time: [76:43]

AVID JAZZ AMSC 1176

Pete Rugolo was one of the best music arrangers of the Big Band era. He was born in Sicily in 1915 and was five years old when his family moved to Santa Rosa, California. Pete studied music at San Francisco College in the 1930’s and served in World War II. After the war he began working with Stan Kenton and His Orchestra, composing and writing arrangements for the group between 1945-1949. He became music director of Capital Records in 1949 and later with Mercury Records in 1957. Along the way he wrote jazz and pop arrangements for June Christy, Nat King Cole, the Four Freshmen, Dinah Washington, Patti Page, Mel Torme, Billy Eckstine, Peggy Lee and many others, as well as recording many albums of his own. Much of his later work included writing scores and arranging music for the film and television industries. A prolific composer, Pete Rugolo registered 364 compositions with ASCAP, and another 508 compositions with BMI. Four of his albums are included on this two CD set.

Rugolo’s arrangements were initially patterned after Stan Kenton’s sound; using Kenton’s full, energetic, aggressive horn sections, Pete added complex rhythms and different combinations of instruments to create new and exciting arrangements and sounds. CD 1 contains several numbers from the Adventures In Rhythm album that demonstrate Pete’s creativeness and originality. The lovely 1936 standard Poinciana opens with a soft, classic bolero percussion rhythm and guitar, with a single flute playing the melody line; this line gets repeated and gradually gets louder and fuller as oboes join in, then trombones, then drums, horns, and cymbals, marching off to a rousing climax. The Rugolomania album is also on CD 1; from this album comes a creative Rugolo arrangement named Bongo Dance, a bongo version of Aram Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance, originally from the 1942 ballet Gayane. Jack Costanzo plays an amazing bongo solo throughout, backed up by the swinging band. Another interesting arrangement features Bill Barber playing a lovely tuba solo in Pete’s rendition of the classic Everything I Have Is Yours. CD 2 features the album Music For Hi-Fi Bugs, which was recorded using only one microphone strategically placed in the studio. Pete’s arrangement of the 1937 standard Once In A While starts with horns, chimes and a slow march time, changes to a fugue rhythm with flutes, and changes again to an easy swing beat with interesting percussion effects. The album Rugolo Plays Kenton is also on CD 2. This album features twelve of Rugolo’s recreations of Stan Kenton’s original hits from their earlier time together with the Kenton Orchestra. Most were composed by Kenton, although Rugolo and Kenton co-wrote Theme To The West, Artistry In Boogie, and Capital Punishment. All of the songs on this album received new Rugolo arrangements, in some cases sounding much different than the Kenton originals. The Kenton theme song Artistry In Rhythm gets a makeover with a new Rugolo arrangement featuring piano, a full reed section, carefully orchestrated brass riffs and rhythm changes.

Pete Rugolo’s genius at musical arrangements helped Stan Kenton develop the cool west coast big band sound. Pete carried over this style and developed it further, and created a lasting legacy of original and imaginative jazz and pop arrangements. This CD set sounds as fresh and new as it did when the music was recorded in the 1950’s.

Bruce McCollum

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