Showing posts with label Don Lanphere. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Don Lanphere. Show all posts

Friday, March 8, 2019

Don Lanphere - Where Do You Start?

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:11
Size: 127,9 MB
Art: Front

( 5:25)  1. Ragazza De La Mer
( 5:53)  2. All Across The City
( 7:10)  3. Blues Away
( 5:56)  4. Ming's Dream
( 3:01)  5. Methuselah's Big Duck
( 5:40)  6. Wilke's Grin
( 6:12)  7. Where Do You Start?
(10:13)  8. The Scene Is Clean
( 5:38)  9. Cottage For Sale

Few veterans of the classic bebop era were still active in 2002, and even fewer were still in their musical prime. Don Lanphere is a major exception. Rather than just recreating the past (which in his case includes leading a date that featured Fats Navarro), Lanphere always looks ahead. A distinctive tenor-saxophonist, Lanphere also doubles effective on soprano and leads a top-notch sextet in the Pacific Northwest. Where Do You Start has a high-quality repertoire performed by Lanphere, cornetist Jonathan Pugh, trombonist Jeff Hay, pianist Marc Seales, bassist Doug Miller and drummer John Bishop. The five originals by group members include "Blues Away" (which is in the Art Blakey hard bop tradition), a feature for Lanphere's soprano on the moody ballad "Ming's Dream" and the novel "Methuselah's Big Duck," which has the cornet and trombone imitating quacking sounds. Of the four other tunes, Jim Hall's "All Across The City" and "Where Do You Start" (which is very rarely ever done interpreted as an instrumental but works quite well) are joined by Tadd Dameron's "The Scene Is Clean" and a wistful version of "A Cottage For Sale." Just one in a string of excellent Don Lanphere recordings after 1980, Where Do You Start has been put out by Origin, a valuable label that documents the jazz scene in Washington State. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/where-do-you-start-mw0000020354

Personnel:  Saxophone – Don Lanphere; Bass – Doug Miller; Cornet – Jonathan Pugh; Drums – John Bishop; Piano – Marc Seales; Trombone – Jeff Hay

Where Do You Start?

Friday, December 11, 2015

Don Lanphere, Jon Pugh - Don Still Loves Midge

Styles: Saxophone And Cornet Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:26
Size: 169,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:38)  1. London By Night
(5:08)  2. Deep In A Dream
(5:31)  3. A Blues For Midge
(4:48)  4. The Right To Love
(5:34)  5. Just The Way You Are
(4:23)  6. Purple Shades
(5:31)  7. That Old Feeling
(4:50)  8. Prelude To A Kiss
(4:31)  9. Ellis In Wonderland
(6:03) 10. Sinatra Medley: The Sky Fell Down / Some Other Time / Why Try To Change Me Now?
(6:08) 11. My Buddy
(5:46) 12. Gray-Blue
(5:12) 13. As Long As There's Music
(4:17) 14. Early Autumn

As a sequel to the previously released Don Loved Midge, veteran saxophonist Don Lanphere again performs a variety of lyrical pieces (mostly older standards) that he and his wife Midge had long enjoyed, plus his originals "Blues for Midge" and "Ellis in Wonderland," and bassist Doug Miller's "GrayBlue." The music swings; there is plenty of melody caressing by the leader and the boppish treatments put the emphasis on melodic development. Lanphere displays fairly distinctive voices on tenor, alto and soprano (which he plays very much in-tune), Jon Pugh has a few pretty cornet solos and guitarist Dave Petersen and trombonist Jeff Hay help out on a few selections. Highlights include the revivals of some obscure but worthy songs including Carroll Coates' "London by Night," Lalo Schifrin's haunting "The Right to Love" and the long-forgotten "Purple Shades." Lanphere's rendition of "Early Autumn" is of particular interest because he had succeeded Stan Getz in Woody Herman's Orchestra and was wise enough to hold on the original sheet music that Getz had used nearly a half-century earlier. A pleasing effort that is easily recommended. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/don-still-loves-midge-mw0000031476

Personnel: Don Lanphere (saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone).  Jon Pugh – (cornet);  Jeff Hay – (trombone); Dave Peterson – (guitar);  Marc Seales – (piano);  Doug Miller – (bass);  John Bishop – (drums).

Don Still Loves Midge

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Don Lanphere Quintet - Into Somewhere / Year 'Round Christmas

Album: Into Somewhere
Size: 122,9 MB
Time: 53:03
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1983/2006
Styles: Jazz: Saxophone Jazz, Bop
Art: Front

01. Noble Indian Song Pt 2 (9:02)
02. Dear Old Stockholm (2:16)
03. Take The A Train (7:07)
04. Last Night When We Were Young (4:15)
05. Brown Rock (6:43)
06. I Heard You Cried Last Night (5:17)
07. Here,not There Silly (8:44)
08. For Kai (7:16)
09. In The Garden (2:16)

One of the happier events in jazz of the early '80s was the comeback of Don Lanphere. A talented tenor-saxophonist during the late '40s who had held his own on a record date with trumpeter Fats Navarro and who also played with Artie Shaw's short-lived bebop band and the Woody Herman Orchestra, Lanphere was off the jazz scene for a few decades. He came back with a series of superb albums for the Hep label, often teaming up with trumpeter Jonathan Pugh. Lanphere's first recording for Hep was From Out of Nowhere, so Into Somewhere was the follow-up. The first few selections are particularly memorable since they consist of a speedy run-through on the chord changes of "Cherokee" ("Noble Indian Song Pt. 2"), a lyrical "Dear Old Stockholm," a rare waltz version of "Take the 'A' Train," and a witty "Brown Rock," which is based loosely on "Sweet Georgia Brown." Lanphere doubles on soprano and sounds quite individual on both of his horns. Pugh and pianist Don Friedman also have plenty of fine solos on this well-constructed and easily recommended CD reissue. ~by Scott Yanow

Into Somewhere 

Album: Year 'Round Christmas
Size: 160,2 MB
Time: 68:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Jazz: Saxophone Jazz, Xmas
Art: Front

01. Overture (1:00)
02. Jingle Bells (6:33)
03. Cradle In Bethlehem (3:33)
04. Silver Bells (6:35)
05. The Christmas Song (4:32)
06. Mary's Little Boy Child (4:45)
07. I'll Be Home For Christmas (4:20)
08. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (6:47)
09. Deck The Hall (6:09)
10. O Come, O Come Emmanuel (6:47)
11. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (5:33)
12. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (5:09)
13. O Holy Night (2:01)
14. Let It Snow, Let It Snow (4:49)

Too often, jazz Christmas albums come off sounding less than improvisational, nearly approaching the easy listening albums of the world. Try playing something with a long and cherished history and form, and too much improvisation seems almost blasphemous. Hence, many artists shy away from too much destruction of the Christmas classics. Here, the great saxman Don Lanphere tinkers with a series of classics, in tandem with an outstanding band, and deconstructs them to their most elemental. These classics almost get lost -- somewhere behind the spurts of collective improvisation, exploratory scale searching, and avant-garde drum solos, you suddenly realize that you're listening to "Silver Bells." Here's the trick, though: where others shy away from such improvisation and tenderly stroke the classics in their usual form, Lanphere arranges these such that the pieces come across as pure jazz numbers that happen to be built on the chord changes of the classics. Not Christmas songs played in a jazz format, but pure jazz, with an underlying Christmas mood or undefinable something to it. With players of the caliber they've got here, it makes for an outstanding, refreshing Christmas album strong improvisation, excellent soloing all around, and just a hint of the holidays to keep the ambience where it's supposed to be. ~by Adam Greenberg

Year'Round Christmas

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Don Lanphere & Pete Christlieb - Get Happy

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:06
Size: 152,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:47)  1. Indian Blues
(8:52)  2. Remember Why
(3:56)  3. Assurance
(6:13)  4. An Interrupted Walk
(5:21)  5. Old Folks
(6:18)  6. Dance Suite
(7:25)  7. After Letting Go
(5:45)  8. Free Indeed
(5:50)  9. Peace
(8:32) 10. Get Happy

Don Lanphere, a veteran tenor great from the bop era, and Pete Christlieb, the hard-driving tenor from Los Angeles, make for a very complementary and mutually inspiring team. Lanphere, who recorded with Fats Navarro and had an up-and-down career, returned to full-time activity in the early 1980s, and has been heard in prime form ever since; not only is he heard here on tenor, but also on soprano and a bit of alto. Christlieb, who was formerly underrecorded, made up for it with a series of rewarding appearances in the '90s. He played alto for the first time on records during the intriguing stop-start piece "An Interrupted Walk." The two masterful saxophonists are joined by Lanphere's regular rhythm section (pianist Marc Seales, bassist Doug Miller, and John Bishop). 

In addition, cornetist Jonathan Pugh sits in on his "Free Indeed," and there is a wordless vocal trio on "Assurance"; the laughter of one of Lanphere's students is expertly utilized on the closing "Get Happy." Plus, there is a bit of overdubbing by saxophonist Dewey Marler during ensembles for which it was felt that four horns would be more exciting than two. Although all but "Old Folks," Horace Silver's "Peace," and the title cut are originals by the musicians, the music is very much in the straight-ahead bebop tradition, often utilizing common chord changes or cooking blues. Christlieb is showcased on "Old Folks," and Lanphere has "Peace" as his feature. Otherwise, this joyous CD is most notable for the interplay and the sparks that fly between the co-leaders, who obviously have great respect for each other. Well worth searching for. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/get-happy-mw0000211703

Personnel: Don Lanphere (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Roger Treece, Sandy Anderson (vocals); Pete Christlieb (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Marc Seales (piano); John Bishop (drums).

Get Happy

Monday, November 30, 2015

Don Lanphere Quintet - Don Loves Midge

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:14
Size: 142,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:11)  1. And The Angels Sing
(4:22)  2. Easy Living
(4:52)  3. I Remember Clifford
(2:51)  4. Try A Little Tenderness
(4:10)  5. Poor Butterfly
(3:00)  6. I'll Never Be The Same Again
(5:11)  7. Once In A While
(5:05)  8. Old Cape Cod
(3:02)  9. God Bless The Child
(3:37) 10. Gone With The Wind
(4:05) 11. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
(5:16) 12. Everything I Have Is Yours
(2:16) 13. Put Your Dreams Away
(5:34) 14. Soon
(3:08) 15. My Foolish Heart
(2:26) 16. There's A Sweet, Sweet Spirit In This Place

A native son of the Pacific Northwest, saxophonist Don Lanphere was one of the region's jazz icons. He learned to play at home on his father's alto sax. As a teenager he idolized Coleman Hawkins and gigged with name touring bands whenever they came to Washington. Lanphere began his music studies at Northwestern University in Illinois and played with local bandleader Johnny Bothwell. At the age of nineteen Lanphere and the band answered the Big Apple's beckon-call and headed for New York. 

After a short time in the city, Lanphere was fired for stealing Bothwell's girl, Chan Richardson. He secured a job with Fats Navarro and recorded some excellent sides, then explored the big-band and swing scene. He played Carnegie Hall with Woody Herman's Second Herd, moved on to Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five, and gigged with the bands of Claude Thornhill, Charlie Barnet and Billy May. Lanphere also made friends with Charlie Parker and recorded the altoist at home with some friends. Those legendary tapes became known as "The Basement Sessions"... and Lanphere's girl, Chan, later became Mrs. Charlie Parker.

Like so many of his contemporaries, Lanphere soon got hooked on narcotics and alcohol. Much of the 1950s was a haze of confusion and he eventually quit the business, returned to Wenatchee and worked in his father's store. In 1969, after he and his second wife, Midge, became born-again Christians, Lanphere dusted off his horn and began playing again. He slowly worked his way back into gigging, and in 1982 he landed a contract with the Scottish label Hep Records which resulted in some fine recordings (Don Loves Midge, 1984). In 1996 he moved to Origin Records, which issued five recordings up through 2003's Where Do You Start? He encouraged young Washingtonians like trumpeter Jon Pugh and pianist Marc Seales, and collaborated with singer Jay Clayton and guitarists Larry Coryell and Mimi Fox.

In his later years Lanphere became an educator, took up the soprano sax as a double, frequently guested at Bud Shank's Port Townsend Jazz Seminar, and held down a regular gig at Tula's in Seattle. He performed with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra (SRJO Live, 2002, Origin), and co-hosted a radio show with his friend, Bud Young, until Lanphere fell ill with hepatitis C earlier this year. Lanphere's website and cadre of friends proclaimed him as "Seattle's Jazz Grandpop", a title he wore proudly and had more than earned over two decades of serving the Northwest jazz community. On October 9, 2003, Don Lanphere passed away at Group Health Eastside Hospital in Redmond, Washington at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife of fifty years, Midge. ~ Todd S. Jenkins  http://www.jazzhouse.org/gone/lastpost2.php3?edit=1066843510

Personnel: Don Lanphere (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Camille Peterson (harp); Jonathan Pugh (trumpet); Marc Seales (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Chuck Deardorf (upright bass, electric bass); Dean Hodges (drums).

Don Still Loves Midge

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Don Lanphere Quintet - Stop

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:13
Size: 127,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:24)  1. New U.S. Moon
(3:59)  2. Stop
(6:14)  3. Body And Soul
(8:16)  4. A.L.C.
(5:19)  5. I Heard You Cry Last Night
(5:01)  6. Avalon
(5:08)  7. There's No You
(4:18)  8. The Preacher
(4:38)  9. Laura
(7:52) 10. Still Will

An excellent all-around set by Don Lanphere (who doubles on tenor and soprano), this release from the Scottish Hep label features Lanphere in several settings. He performs four numbers, including "There's No You" and "The Preacher," in a quintet with trumpeter Jon Pugh, pianist Marc Seales, bassist Chuck Deardorf and drummer Dean Hodges; he explores "Body and Soul" with the same group (without Pugh); he takes "Laura" as a spontaneous duet with bassist Deardorf, and teams up with Pugh on two other straight-ahead originals in a different quintet with pianist Don Friedman. No matter what the setting, the underrated Don Lanphere is heard throughout in top form. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/stop-mw0000246725

Personnel: Don Lanphere (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Marc Seales (piano); Chuck Deardorf (acoustic bass, electric bass); Dean Hodges (drums); Jonathan Pugh (trumpet).

Stop

Monday, November 23, 2015

Don Lanphere And New Stories - Home At Last

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:10
Size: 150,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:27)  1. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
(8:12)  2. Alone Together
(6:50)  3. My Ideal
(8:20)  4. Invitation
(5:37)  5. Violets For Your Furs
(6:52)  6. Home At Last
(6:44)  7. Solar
(6:10)  8. Estate
(5:02)  9. End Of A Love Affair
(4:51) 10. Goodbye

Veteran tenor saxophonist Don Lanphere is a modern Lazarus, a bebop-blowing master brought back to life by Jesus. The 73-year-old Yakima-bred musician was a teenaged fixture on the New York scene during 52nd Street heyday. He made his recording session debut with Max Roach and Fats Navarro in New York in 1948 and hung out with Charlie Parker at bebop’s birth. By the time Lanphere was 22, he had a heroin habit, an arrest record, and had lost his girlfriend, Chan Richardson, to Parker. Ten years later, after another drug bust (marijuana), Lanphere quit the music business…for 23 years.

In 1982, buoyed by his born-again Christian faith at 60, Lanphere revived his career and has produced a succession of glorious swing-to-bop recordings topped by the recently released, Home At Last. Liner notes credit inspiration from “Bird, Prez, Zoot and the two Sonnys,” but Lanphere’s warm, plaintive synthesis of stylistic advancements by Parker, Young, Sims, Rollins and Stitt is a very personal sound, a masterful, individual voice. On Home At Last, Lanphere’s assured, succinct improvisations are framed expertly by New Stories’ supple rhythmic support. Pianist Marc Seales is a particularly adept accompanyist and, like his rhythm team of bassist Doug Miller and drummer John Bishop, a sensitive listener who knows how to leave lots of breathing room for the leader.

Romantic ballad readings of “Alone Together,” “Violets For Your Furs,” and “Goodbye” ground the group’s more muscular workouts with a tenderness that is heartbreakingly beautiful. The confidence and virility of Lanphere’s playing is in evidence from the opening “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes.” Seales stands out on that cut too. Several of the band’s arrangements are playful adaptations of the ballad form, particularly Lanphere’s clever remaking of “My Ideal” and Hank Mobley’s “ Home At Last.” Another treat is Lanphere’s elegiac soprano sax reading of “Estate” followed by the saxophonist’s most endearing homage to Lester Young, a gorgeous version of “The End of A Love Affair.” He caps a superb studio effort with a soulful, wise version of Gordon Jenkins’ “Goodbye.” Don Lanphere is an absolute master, and this is a masterpiece. 
~ Joseph Blake  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/home-at-last-don-lanphere-review-by-joseph-blake.php

Personnel: Don Lanphere - Saxophone, Doug Miller - Bass, Marc Seales - Piano

Home At Last

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Don Lanphere, Bud Shank, Denney Goodhew - Lopin'

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:30
Size: 149,1 MB
Art: Front

(8:54)  1. I Really Didn't Think That
(6:27)  2. Love's Question
(5:19)  3. Lighten Up
(5:50)  4. A Time For Love
(8:26)  5. The Lope Of A Dolt
(4:57)  6. Have You Met Miss Jones?
(8:09)  7. Fall
(9:54)  8. El Balie De Las Munecas (Dance Of The Dolls)
(6:30)  9. M.K. & M.K.

Don Lanphere, a veteran of the late '40s, really came into his own in the 1980s, as can be heard on his recordings for the Scottish Hep label. An inquisitive player who has not forgotten (or felt restricted by) his bop roots, Lanphere is matched with baritonist Denney Goodhew and alto great Bud Shank on this sextet date. They perform an original apiece from Lanphere and Miller, four by pianist Marc Seales (who leads the fine rhythm section), and three standards. Shank is consistently passionate (really showing emotion on "A Time for Love"), Lanphere is featured on an abstract ballad version of "Have You Met Miss Jones," and Goodhew plays strong enough not to be overshadowed by the better-known saxophonists. This superior modern mainstream release has fresh material and several surprising moments. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/lopin-mw0000664192

Personnel: Don Lanphere (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Doug Miller (bass instrument); John Bishop , John Bishop (drums); Bud Shank (alto saxophone); Denney Goodhew (baritone saxophone); Marc Seales (piano).

Lopin'

Friday, March 28, 2014

Don Lanphere - Like A Bird

Size: 142,5 MB
Time: 61:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2000
Styles: Mainstream Jazz
Art: Front

01. Swingin' With Party Boy Will (6:04)
02. Somewhere (5:57)
03. Jeannine (4:44)
04. My Ship (3:41)
05. Blues For Les (7:30)
06. Slow Boat To China (5:23)
07. A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing (4:16)
08. Like A Bird (3:56)
09. Hello (5:21)
10. East Coast Attitude (5:29)
11. What Is This Thing Called Love (3:59)
12. Alexander's What (4:56)

Since Don Lanphere has been on the jazz scene since the 1940s, one would think that there is no format in which he hasn't performed. This album goes to show that there is always something new on the horizon. And that's the scene for this album, where, for the first time, Lanphere works with a Hammond B3 organ, here in the capable hands of Barney McClure. Also along for this occasion is guitarist Mimi Fox, and when you add Mel Brown on drums, you have a rather novel quartet of sax, organ, guitar, and drums. The boppish saxes of Lanphere, along with the organ groove and soul and the clean guitar strumming of Fox, produce a unique group sound. This is apparent right from the first track of Lanphere's "Swingin' With Party Boy Will," where both establish credentials as individual performers and as soloists. Lanphere's sax is appropriately vibrant, fitting well with McClure's organ and Fox's guitar reaching down to bass depths, on occasion. Brown gets in well-timed drum licks. And everything goes uphill from there. By the time they reach "East Coast Attitude," everyone is grooving high and strong. A Fox original, each gets the chance to stretch way out in that understated modal music style. Lanphere and Fox are alone on a lovely rendering of "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing," where Fox has her guitar pitched rather low and sonorous as she works underneath Lanphere's statement of the melody line. This is a superior track of music. Opening with ethereal Fox strings then sequing into Lanphere's light, delicate and true pitch soprano sax, "My Ship" is another choice three-plus minutes of music. Altogether, the album is more than an hour of consummate musicianship and is highly recommended. ~Review by Dave Nathan

Like A Bird