John Roos’ Blog

I wondered what the kids in Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom thought. It was 1968 (I think) and most of them probably had come to hear the Who. Or the second act on the bill, Joe Cocker. But I had come for the opening act. Buddy Rich and his band. Almost forty years later, the impact of that night still echoes in my mind.

There was a mistaken idea, shared by many today, that “big bands” were relics of the past. Boring. Irrelevant. Buddy Rich was the man to destroy those myths. A showman and phenomenal drummer, Rich was energy personified. And his bands shared that intensity.

After a career as a drummer of many major bands/groups, and even leading his own bands at times, he started his big band in the mid-60s. Many were skeptical, and wondered if he could keep a band together. But the initial reaction was awe-inspiring, and they lit up the L.A. scene with a sound that was cutting edge.

We still can hear in the classic CD, Swingin’ New Big Band. It was a classic “big band” yet sounded contemporary. Prior to their debut in LA, they had rehearsed for weeks. This was not a pick-up band, but a true ensemble.

 

They displayed a high level of musicianship, and played great arrangements. They were tight and played in tune, and in harmony. Breathtaking in volume and force. Charged with electricity. The band, of course, was driven by Rich on drums, but he had assembled some strong musicians. The featured soloist, so often, was Jay Corre on tenor saxophone. The recording perhaps still remembered for the extraordinary suite from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.

Buddy left us many other fine recordings. Buddy’s bands were marked with constant turnover, and there rarely is much commonality in personality, from recording to recording. But all versions of the band still sound like Buddy. If I was to select recordings that typify his bands at its best it would be Buddy and Soul and Mercy, Mercy.

Buddy and Soul is filled with tracks played around the time they were playing the Aragon Ballroom. This really isn’t “soul” but rock ‘n roll. Aggressive rhythms. Charging brass. Brilliant reeds. Amplified with electric guitar and bass. And they played music we all recognized, such as treatments of hits by the Doors, Soul Kitchen and Hello, I Love You.

This still sounds fresh. Synthesizing the best of the big band sound with the vibrancy of rock. There are some great charts. Just listen to Ruth, the work of brilliant arranger/composer Bill Holman. Or Kim Richmond’s Wanderbag. Or Soul Kitchen and Hello, I Love You. I’ve been partial to The Word, by Don Piestrup, who was to provide some of the band’s best material over the years.

The band here is not Buddy’s best. My vote for that distinction is the band featured on Mercy Mercy.

 

This remarkable band had been playing in Las Vegas when, on July 7, 1968 around 3 AM, he announced that they were going to do some recording. Could they handle it? Just listen! Who would imagine the circumstances. But their chops were more than capable.

The album takes off with Phil Wilson’s arrangement of Joe Zawinul’s Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. Just listen to Al Porcino’s lead trumpet, here and elsewhere. And the also solos of Art Pepper. But probably the most memorable soloist was tenor saxophonist, Don Menza, notably for his solo on Bill Readie’s Channel One Suite. This suite launches like a rocket, in a super-charged opening two minutes. One wishes that Readie had found a way to extend this opening, for it has great material, and the band plays superbly. It just ends too quickly.

The second part of the suite features a largely lyrical solo by Menzo. But it is his extended cadenza about five minutes into the suite that put him on the map. One of the great solos in jazz history. Then the band takes off again for the final six minutes.

I am so glad that I heard Buddy in person that night in Chicago. But, the good news is that, through recordings like those above, all of us can share experiences just like that.

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