BOULEVARD BIG BAND: A Night on the Boulevard

Boulevard Big Band

A Night on the Boulevard

© 2000 Boulevard Music (666419139221)

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A live concert tribute to the legendary Big Bands of the 40's, 50's and 60's in the original styles.

tracks

1 Trumpet Blues and Cantabile
2 Blues in Hoss' Flat
3 Maria (from West Side Story)
4 Jump, Jive & Wail
5 Stockinghorse
6 Somewhere (from West Side Story)
7 Take the A Train
8 MacArthur Park
9 P.S. I Love You
10 And the Angels Sing
11 A Night in Tunisia
12 Opus in Pastels
13 I've Found a New Baby
14 Flyin' Home

notes

"Baby Boomer" musicians were in the right place at the right time. We grew up listening to all the great big bands on radio and television. You could walk down the main boulevard of any city and hear the bands of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, The Dorsey Brothers, Stan Kenton and Harry James perform live.

We were fortunate that as we entered college, jazz education was becoming a legitimate course of study and these great players were alive and performing at high schools and colleges across the country. We attended clinics and lectures with these legends and they were guest soloists with our bands. We heard them speak about the creative process and absorbed their love of the music. What a special time to be learning our craft.

Sadly, most of them are gone now. But those of us who were touched by these masters and appeared on stage with them still use that knowledge and experience when we perform with today's top entertainers, Broadway shows and the remaining few "name" big bands.

You can't just stroll down the boulevard to hear this music anymore, so it's up to us to preserve the quality and spirit of this tradition.

The Boulevard Big Band recorded this, their debut CD, live in concert, not in a studio in order to keep alive the musical energy, creativity and variety that you could once find when you spent "A Night on the Boulevard."

Leader and trumpet player John Pendenza has toured with the bands of Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich, Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Warren Covington and the Pied Pipers, and The New Xavier Cugat Orchestra.

His free-lance career includes performing in the pits of such Broadway musicals as "Crazy For You", "Catskills On Broadway," "Will Rogers Follies,", and "Starlight Express."

He has played lead trumpet for entertainers such as Cher, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Mel Torme, Shirley Bassey, Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles and Yes.

reviews

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  • Boulevarde Big band
    author: carole hayes

    This had some great tunes and good arrangements. Well worth buying if you long for the big bands of yesteryear. As a presenter on community radio it is nice to be able to acknowledge the various musicians on each track. What a pity that the graphics make it almost impossible to decipher the names. Apart from that, a good mix well presented.

  • author: Don Williams

    good big band music as meant to be played

  • author: Don Williams

    good big band music as meant to be played

  • good listen
    author: McB

    Someone worships Maynard...

  • Great band and soloists.Would buy anything else they have
    author: Keith Sladen

    This swung from the off.Great high trumpet and other soloists.A great shame that the band isn't better known(or maybe it is inUSA,but not in UK)I would be glad to hear of other CDs by this outfit.

  • Great big band music-- lots of trumpet.
    author: leeldoo

    The band produces some great big band and jazz music. This album is very "wailing trumpet" heavy-- Great for re-energizing. This CD includes fantastic versions of jazz favorites: Take the A train and A Night in Tunisia. If you are a fan of big band- give this cd a try!

  • The Boulevard Band Swings! Great sounding group of musicians
    author: Tim Taylor-JavaMan

    I play an hour of Big Band on my radio show weekly. This is a great addition to my library. The band is tight and swings.

  • SWINGING BIG BAND MUSIC
    author: ELNORA TAYLOR

    GREAT SOUND

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