THE BROOKS TEGLER BIG BAND: That's It!

The Brooks Tegler Big Band

That's It!

© 2007 Brooks Tegler

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Big band jazz played with precision, drive, and energy; it swings hard and fast, and the grooves are solid and strong.

tracks

1 That’s It!
2 Ingie Speaks
3 Goodnight My Love
4 John’s Idea
5 Jack the Bear
6 The Glider
7 Now I Know
8 Gypsy Mood
9 Slow Freight
10 Pussy Willow
11 Keeper of the Flame
12 If Dreams Come True
13 Sweetie Cakes
14 Hiya Sue
15 I Have Eyes
16 Snafu Jump
17 Such Sweet Thunder
18 Alright, Okay, You Win

notes

ABOUT That's It!
The band’s main concert activity is a series of Tributes to many of the best—and best-known—bandleaders who were household names between the late thirties and the mid-fifties. A few of these names carried on into the 60s and 70s and, in the case of Woody Herman, well into the 80s and 90s. Here is a collection of “encores” that our concert attendees would not hear in the regular live programs. Played with the same precision, drive, and energy, it’s safe to say these cuts are not in that horrible realm to which the record industry has (sadly) relegated big band material. Try as they might, I doubt it’s possible to categorize this as “easy listening” by any standard. It swings hard and fast and the grooves are solid and strong. Though big band music has been many things to many people, for those who know it as jazz, this is for you. It’s also our tribute to all the greats: Gene, Benny, Artie, Duke, Count, Woody, Glenn, Dorsey and those who helped get them there.
Brooks

“Great charts, great jazz, and great drums had me smiling from first to last. You can dance, you can listen—it’s all here. This is my kind of Big Band Swing!”
—Butch Miles

Personnel
RHYTHM
Brooks Tegler, drums; Tommy Cecil, bass; Larry Eanet, piano; Robert Redd, piano; Tom Mitchell, guitar

REEDS
Joe Midiri; Marty Nau; Bill Mulligan; Leigh Pilzer; Scott Silbert; Don Lerman; Jeff Suzda; John Doughten; Bruce Swaim

TRUMPETS
Kenny McGee; Randy Reinhart; Marc Weigel; Vince McCool; Paul duBois; Clyde Hunt;

TROMBONES
John Jensen; Jay Gibble; Jen Krupa; Paul Midiri; Jim Lester;

VOCALS
Lynn McCune; Jim Stephanson

+++++++++++++++++++
ABOUT Brooks Tegler
Brooks Tegler is a drummer who lives in D.C. area and leads jazz groups of various sizes, anything from trios up to 17-piece big bands. (This includes authentic WWII Army Air Force Band.) Born in Philadelphia, November 1954; formative years in Baltimore, ’57 to ’72. First professional gig: 1968 (been playing ever since). He works and teaches all over the world—from The Kennedy Center, Duke Ellington School, or Blues Alley in Washington, DC; to festivals/concert dates/club gigs to N.Y. and Boston (north); Atlanta and Miami (south); the UK, Europe (east); and Chicago, Las Vegas, California, and Tokyo (west). And, of course, many places in between!

Recordings
Brooks is on over a hundred albums, including eight under his own name (five of which he produced) and many from Europe and Japan.
“It’s Been So Long” won the 2004 Wammie Award for best Big Band Jazz/Swing category (currently in second pressing).
Two week 2006 (and 2007) Europe tour with Dan Barrett and Dutch/German big band and small jazz groups led by Saxophone master Robert Veen and his Jimmie Lunceford Legacy Orch..
Week long CD Release tour in Sept 07 in The Netherlands for new Jimmie Lunceford Legacy Orch. project.
Back to Japan for 14th year in a row!!

Brooks has produced numerous tribute concerts which include:
Accurate and complete recreation of the 1938 Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Concert as well as tributes to:
(These concerts involve full big bands and all related small groups.)
Gene Krupa
J.J. and Kai
Artie Shaw
Tommy Dorsey
Benny Goodman
Glenn Miller AAF Band
Duke Ellington
Woody Herman
Count Basie
Louis Jordan

He has led a Sunday afternoon gig for the last 25 years.

MUSICAL HISTORY
Brooks has worked and associated with many, many great musicians:

Bass:
Milt Hinton, Keter Betts, Bob Haggart, J.J. Wiggins, Major Holley, Tommy Cecil, Masato Kobayashi, Jack Lesberg, Steve Novosel, John Previti, Johnny Williams

Piano:
Art Hodes, Eddie Higgins, Bill Potts, Mulgrew Miller, Mark Shane, John Sheridan, George Wein, Paolo Alderighi, Ray Sherman, Jim Dapogny, Butch Thompson, Alan Farnun, Johnny Varro, Mike LaDonne, John Colliani, Claude Tissendier, Norma Teagarden, Harry Kanters

Organ:
Jack McDuff, Eddie Hatsas

Guitar:
Steve Jordan (as a member of Brooks’ jazz group for eight years), Marty Grosz, Eddie Ericson, Charlie LaBarbara, Danny Barker, Paul Wingo, Joe Cohn, Steve Abshire, Ian Date, Vinnie Corrao, Danny Gatton, Ted Connor, Nagome Segume.

Mandolin/Violin:
Peter Ostrushko, Paul Glasse, Paul Anastasio, Matt Glaser, Tim O’Brien

Trumpet/Cornet:
Wild Bill Davison, Billy Butterfield, Doc Cheatham, Max Kaminsky, Randy Sanke, Jordan Sanke, Ed Polcer, Bent Persson, Bill Berry, Tommy Saunders, Warren Vaché Jr., Connie Jones, Randy Reinhart.

Trombone: Bob Havens, Roy Williams, Bob Hunt (UK), Al Gray, Benny Powell, (UK) Dan Barrett, Herb Gardner (piano as well), Bill Alred, John Jensen, Bert Boeren, Dave Steinmeyer

Reeds:
Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, Bob Wilber, Kenny Davern, Frank Wess, Peanuts Hucko, Lou Donaldson, Eric Alexander, Bobby Gordon, Johnny Mince, Flip Phillips, Jim Galloway, Ken Peplowski, Benny Waters, Harry Allen, Chuck Hedges, Tom Baker, Joe Muryani, Tommy Gwaltney, Alan Vaché, Eiji Hanaoka, Antoine Trommelen, Joe Midiri, Al Galodoro, Robert Veen, Chris Hopkins (piano as well), Dan Levinson., Anti Scarpili

Vibes:
Joep Peters, Chuck Redd, Paul Midiri, Lenny Cuje, Lars Estrand
Drummers:
(Believe it or not) Barrett Deems, Butch Miles, Johnny Blowers, Bobby Rosengarden, Gene Estes, Red Hawley, Louie Bellson

Singers:
Helen Ward, Helen Forrest, Rebecca Kilgore, Banu Gibson, Barbara Lea, Janet Seidel, Donna Byrne, Ericka Ovette

Musical Influences:
Gene Krupa; Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, on and on and on…(did we mention Gene Krupa?)

reviews

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  • author: Castellano Claudio

    A very great artists, a very great orchestra, a very great album! Wonderful!

  • that's it!
    author: james wardrop

    This cd truely captures the heart of Brooks Tegler. He has been faithfully presenting this music for the last 30 years, as true to the tradition as anyone, and more so than most. The arrangements are the "real" ones, not recreations, and the players all match his level of artistic sincerity and accuracy. If you love the big band tradition of America's greatest music, this cd is one of the best you will ever hear. A total triummph for Brooks and the band.

  • Superb Big Band Swing
    author: Thomas Treichler

    superb big band recreating 30's to 50's big band jazz using vintage arrangements originally written for the bands of Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller and Benny Carter. Now don't expect another version of "In The Mood" or "Sing Sing Sing". The repertoire is carefully chosen and contains some lesser known but nevertheless great swing era charts. For example Woody Herman is represented by "Ingie Speaks" and "Keeper Of the Flame", Dorsey by ""That's It!", Basie by "John's Idea" and "Sweetie Cakes" and so on. The section and solo playing is first rate and the band swings mightily. By the way Brooks Tegler is an outstanding drummer in the swing tradition. Great listening, highly recommended!

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