Personnel:
Buddy Bregman (arr & cond), Maynard Ferguson, Conte Candoli, Frank Rosolino, Ben Webster, Jimmy Giuffre, Stan Getz, Bud Shank, Georgie Auld, Herb Geller, André Previn, Claude Williamson, Barney Kessel, Stan Levey, Rex Middletton's Hi-Fi's
Reference: FSRCD 2262
Bar code: 8427328622622
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Starting in 1955, Buddy Bregman became one of the busiest conductors, composers, and arrangers in the Hollywood music business, whether it was pop or jazz, with a spread of activities covering records, television, and motion pictures, so much so that he seemed ubiquitous.
This release celebrates the jazz side of his considerable talents in two significant ways, beginning with his first instrumental album fully in the jazz vein: Swinging Kicks, which was the reorchestrated music score of an obscure movie, The Wild Party. For this ambitious project, recorded in December 1956, he put together a handful of the best Hollywood jazz musicians, featuring a roster of great soloists, among them Ben Webster and Stan Getz.
But Bregman was also responsible for a number of other fine, but so far neglected, recordings all reissued here for the first timefeaturing different all-star groups he conducted, including some vocal tracks with Rex Middletons Hi-Fis. The set closes with The Delinquent, the big band theme song of the Jerry Lewis film The Delicate Delinquent, originally issued as a 45 rpm single. It completes a jazz portrait of a wunderkind Hollywood arranger whose experiences in the jazz field, despite their rarity, were of enduring quality.
"Best known as an arranger for singers and for commercial sessions, Buddy Bregman led one full-fledged jazz instrumental date, Swinging Kicks. Because many of the selections are brief (seven are under two minutes) and due to the intriguing titles, this seems a bit like a soundtrack to a film that was never made. However, few of the tracks seem truncated and there are some excellent solos along the way, particularly from Ben Webster, Conte Candoli, Herb Geller, Bud Shank, and Paul Smith. The personnel changes from cut to cut, ranging from a 19-piece big band with screaming trumpet playing from Maynard Ferguson and Conrad Gozzo to various combos, a Ben Webster/André Previn duet on "Kicks Is in Love," and a rapid workout for Paul Smith on "Go Kicks." Bregman uses some of the top West Coast jazz players and various musicians who were on Verve at the time, with Stan Getz making a guest appearance on "Honey Chile." Recommended."
Scott Yanow -All Music Guide
