track 1. Dinah: track 2. Mutual Admiration Society: track 3. Steve Allen Theme: track 4. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face: track 5. Blowin' Country: track 6. Love Nest: track 7. As Long As There's Music: track 8. Just In Time: track 9. Two Lost Souls:
track 1. Dinah: track 2. Mutual Admiration Society: track 3. Steve Allen Theme: track 4. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face: track 5. Blowin' Country: track 6. Love Nest: track 7. As Long As There's Music: track 8. Just In Time: track 9. Two Lost Souls:
track 1. Dinah: track 2. Mutual Admiration Society: track 3. Steve Allen Theme: track 4. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face: track 5. Blowin' Country: track 6. Love Nest: track 7. As Long As There's Music: track 8. Just In Time: track 9. Two Lost Souls:
track 1. Dinah: track 2. Mutual Admiration Society: track 3. Steve Allen Theme: track 4. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face: track 5. Blowin' Country: track 6. Love Nest: track 7. As Long As There's Music: track 8. Just In Time: track 9. Two Lost Souls:
OnλinerNotes - JAZZ |
Blowin' Country
World-Pacific Records
LP cover design - Woody Woodward
alto sax - Bud Shank
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Woody Woodward's Original 1959 Liner Notes:
______Nearly all the instruments used by jazz musicians were in widespread use by the late twenties. When Lionel Hampton popularized the vibes during the mid thirties, the picture appeared complete, for no one during the next fifteen years would successfully introduce a new instrument into general use. Several jazzmen, through their enormous virtuosity, would bring a kind of conditional acceptance to other instruments, but the use of instruments other than the time-honored jazz equipment was regarded, for the most part, as pure novelty. This attitude was to change during the early fifties, as a number of new instruments found favor. It was largely through the efforts and excellent musicianship of two young jazz musicians that this new acceptance came about. This album is the product of those musicians and a forceful example of why they succeeded where others had failed. _____The productive association of Bud Shank (bio) and Bob Cooper (bio) began in December of 1949 when Stan Kenton hired both onto his newly formed "Innovations In Modern Music" orchestra. A personal friendship developed immediately, followed shortly by a high regard for each others remarkable musicianship. They had one virtue in common. Both had mastered an unusual number of instruments: Bud Shank, the alto, tenor, baritone, clarinet and flute; Bob Cooper, the tenor, bass clarinet, English horn and oboe. Their extensive use of these instruments (except the alto and tenor) began with their work on the "Innovations In Modern Music" orchestra since, until that time, neither had made a concerted effort to integrate them into jazz. _____Late in 1951, as the Stan Kenton band prepared to leave Los Angeles on another national tour, a number of Stan Kenton's key men chose to stay behind and establish individual careers - Bud Shank and Bob Cooper were among them. The first year was difficult as studio work was not easy to come by, and such jazz clubs as were then operative were still hiring only 'eastern name attractions'. Early in 1953, both Bud Shank and Bob Cooper began to make modest headway as their appearances became more frequent and their abilities increasingly obvious. By late summer, the situation began to break. Bud Shank recorded an album with the great Brazilian born guitarist, Laurindo Almeida on World-Pacific (WP 1204) that was an immediate success. Both Bud Shank and Bob Cooper joined the already famous Lighthouse All Stars. That fall, Bud Shank was signed to a long term contract by World-Pacific Records and Bob Cooper began to record frequently with the Lighthouse group and its several offshoots. _____In 1954, with only scant representation on records, Bud Shank was named 'New Star Alto' by 'Down Beat' magazine as the results of their Annual Critics Poll and 'Metronome Magazine' declared him as the 'Arrival Of The Year' in the year-end 1954 'Metronome Yearbook'. Bob Cooper was not so fortunate - no such positive proclamations were made on his behalf. But he was, nevertheless, gaining ground. His popularity at the Lighthouse was immediate; studio work was beginning to open up for him; and Bob Cooper had climbed into the top five on the jazz polls. That year, 'Contemporary Records', who had the Lighthouse All Stars under contract, recorded that group featuring Bud Shank and Bob Cooper playing flute and oboe. When released, the album was a sensation both critically and saleswise. Largely, as the results of that album, Bud Shank in 1956, swept all polls taking first place as America's number one flautist. Until that time, the flute had not been regarded as an important jazz instrument. Bud Shank's enormous control of the instrument and the imagination with which he used it, had literally forced the flute into a position of prominence. And Bob Cooper's work on the oboe established him as THE jazz oboist; a position that he clearly holds to this day. _____Now with "Blowin' Country" World-Pacific presents Bud Shank and Bob Cooper employing nearly all the instrumental combinations at their command. "Love Nest" utilizes Bud Shank's alto and Bob Cooper's tenor, "Mutual Admiration Society", "Blowin' Country" and "Dinah" present them both playing tenor; the famous flute-oboe combination is demonstrated on"Sweet Georgia Brown" and the opening ensemble of "Steve Allen Theme". On "Two Lost Souls", this sound is varied as Bud Shank continues on flute while Bob Cooper switches to bass clarinet. Then on "Just In Time" the situation is reversed as Bob Cooper returns to the oboe and Bud Shank plays alto again with Bob Cooper returning to tenor after the opening chorus. "As Long As There's Music" and "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" has Bud Shank back on flute and Bob Cooper on tenor. _____To the unsympathetic ear, the use of so many instruments might seem to have been motivated for novelty's sake, but for Bud Shank and Bob Cooper, who've spent the better part of their lives playing these instruments, it is anything but novel. Their mastery of these many instruments is such that they can, without undue debate, simply select the instruments that will provide whatever coloration as seems fitting. Their choice of combinations here was dictated by nothing more than the manner in which they felt each piece of material could most effectively be handled. Here are two exceptionally well trained musicians fully aware of their capacity, and eager to utilize all the equipment at their disposal. (from Woody Woodward)
_____Bud Shank attended the University of North Carolina from 1944-46. Early on, he played a variety of woodwinds, including flute, clarinet, and alto and tenor saxes; he began to concentrate on alto and flute in the late '40s. _____Bud Shank ensconced himself in the L.A. studios during the '60s, emerging occasionally to record jazz and bossa nova albums with the likes of Chet Baker and Sergio Mendes. Bud Shank's 1966 album with Chet Baker, "Michelle", was something of a popular success, reaching number 56 on the charts. Film scores on which Bud Shank can be heard include "The Thomas Crown Affair" and "The Barefoot Adventure". _____In the '70s, Bud Shank formed the L.A. Four with Laurindo Almeida, bassist Ray Brown, and, at various times, drummers Chuck Flores, Shelly Manne, and Jeff Hamilton. Bud Shank had been one of the earliest jazz flutists, but in the mid-'80s, he dropped the instrument in order to concentrate on alto full-time. Over the last two decades, he has recorded small-group albums at a modestly steady pace for the Contemporary, Concord, and Candid labels. (...from Chris Kelsey...)
_____The cool-toned tenor (whose sound fit into the "Four Brothers" style) was on many records in the 1950s (including those of Shorty Rogers, Pete Rugolo, and June Christy), and continued working steadily in Los Angeles-area clubs up until his death. He appears on records with the big bands of Frank Capp / Nat Pierce, Bob Florence, and the '80s version of the Lighthouse All-Stars; and participated in the 1991 Stan Kenton 50th-anniversary celebration. As a leader, Bob Cooper recorded for Capitol in the 1950s, Contemporary, Trend, Discovery, and Fresh Sound. (...from Scott Yanow).
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OnλinerNotes - JAZZ 
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