MIKE BARONE BIG BAND: Metropole

Mike Barone Big Band

Metropole

© 2006 Michael J Barone (634479387654)

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Big Band Jazz Straight ahead jazz, latin and ballads.

notes

Mike Barone was born in Detroit in Michigan on December 27, 1936 and began playing trombone at age 12. Both Mike and his brother Gary were taught by their father, Joe Barone, who played trumpet with the Bob Crosby Orchestra and many other big bands from the 1920s through the 1960s.
Mike graduated from Brush High School in Cleveland, Ohio in 1954 and studied trombone, guitar and arranging until 1956, when he was accepted into the West Point Army Band. There he studied trombone with Louis Van Haney of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. After his West Point stint, Mike was stationed in Germany, where he was with Special Services and formed his first Jazz big band, touring service clubs through Europe.
In 1959, Mike attended Valley College in Van Nuys, California and left school to tour with the Sy Zentner and Louis Bellson Orchestras. Mike spent many years working with Louie and Pearl Bailey, touring, recording and arranging for the band. In 1962, Mike recorded Lalo Shifrin's "New Continent," which was performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival with Dizzy Gillespie's Quintet. The next few years were spent performing and recording with Dick Grove, Pete Jolly, Gabor Szabo, Oliver Nelson and many others. During this time, Mike also played with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra and many of his arrangements were recorded by Gerald and other artists.
In 1964, Mike started his own big band which was featured at Donte's Jazz Club from 1966 to 1969. After hearing some of Mike's charts, Doc Severinsen asked Mike to send some charts to New York for the NBC Tonight Show band. This started a twenty-three year relationship with Doc and the Tonight Show Band, for which he wrote over 300 original compositions and arrangements. Two of these, "Peachy" and "Superslick," were used as ending themes of the show for years. Other work in Los Angeles included and arranging and composing for television and movies, such as "Dynasty," "Falcon Crest," "Rocky Three" and the Academy Awards Show.
Mike moved to Colorado in 1987, where he released an album on TBA Records featuring Ernie Watts. After spending six years in Colorado, he moved to Vancouver, Washington in 1993.
Mike moved back to the LA area in 1997 and formed a new big band, which has performed at the Jazz Bakery, Clancey's, Ken Poston Big Band Party and the Big Band Jazz Party in Palm Springs. Meanwhile Mike's old big band recording, "Live at Donte's 1968," was released around 2000 by VSOP Records.
Mike wrote for the Academy Awards Show in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005. Mike also has a song on "Lost Treasures," Herb Alpert's new CD, called "Happy Hour." Mike will have 3 charts [2 originals] on the new Bud Shank Big Band CD to be released Feb 2006 on the Jazzed Media label. The "Mike Barone Big Band Live 2005" is the second CD released on Mikes new label "Rhubarb Recordings". "You Name It" is Rubarb's third release and "Metropole" The Mike Barone Big Band is the latest in 2006.

reviews

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  • author: Ross Lang

    Great arranging, great playing. When is the next release?

  • If you can only afford one big band CD this year..
    author: J. D. Eklund

    If you can only afford one big band CD this year, this is the one to buy! Marvelous music, beautifully recorded!

  • Fantastic CD!!
    author: Pietro by Radio-Vinilemania

    Conosco oramai il trombone di Mike Barone da un paio di anni ma in questo CD riesce veramente a superarsi. Dieci tracce, di cui due composte dallo stesso Mike (Metropole e Flatfoot) superbamente eseguite dalla sua Big Band... rendono IMPERDIBILE questo CD per tutti gli amanti del Jazz Classico!! Molto apprezzato ed ascoltato anche in Italia!!! Per Vinilemania.net: VERY HIGLY RECOMMENDED!!! Ciaooooo P

  • Hot Big Band Orchestrations !
    author: Edward Blanco

    This new album is one of the best big band CDs I've had the pleasure of listening to in quite a while. Barone's band cooks the charts on several tunes but in particular with Coltrane's "Grand Central." There are terrific solo performances from some of the best players on the West coast. An exciting an energetic live performance by a first-rate orchestra.

  • Mike Barone the Greatest!
    author: Jean-Philippe Epitaux

    As a big band aficionado I thought I'd heard everything possible and impossible in the genre. That was before I heard the Mike Barone band...Mike's outfit is absolutely outstanding. His writing is superb. So is the sound of the orchestra as well as its soloists. Just fantastic!

  • State of the jazz composition, arranging, ensemble, soloist, production arts.
    author: Bob Golden

    The most current in an invaluable series of consistently superb, exciting and inspired Barone Big Band discs that are state of the jazz composition, arranging, ensemble, soloist and production arts.

  • Original arrangements played by a top notch band
    author: Peter Gracie United Kingdom

    This is an outstanding example of arranging which gives a new lease of life to some old standards.The newer compositions are every bit as enjoyable.However,you need top rate musicians to breathe life into any arrangement and this band achieves just that.For original,live and swinging big band jazz with some great solos look no further. Well done to everyone involved.

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