FRANCY BOLLAND ORCHESTRA: BLUE FLAME, RED HOT & WHITE HEAD

FRANCY BOLAND
O grande maestro belga Francy Boland arranjou e gravou 3 LPs extraordinários com
uma big-band que reunia o "creme-do-creme" de músicos de diversas nacionalidades, atuantes na Europa em 1976. Os 3 álbuns foram condensados em 2 CDs que estou postando hoje. Uma obra-prima, uma aula de bom gosto, elegância e competência.
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FRANCY BOLAND
François Boland (November 6, 1929 in Namur Belgium – August 12, 2005 in Geneva) was a classically trained Belgian jazz composer and pianist. He first gained notice in 1949 and worked with Belgian jazz greats like Bobby Jaspar, and in 1955 he joined Chet Baker 's quintet. Moving to the US, he began arranging for Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman and Dizzy Gillespie, and set up an octet with drummer Kenny Clarke before returning to Europe and becoming Kurt Edelhagen's chief arranger. In 1961, based around a rhythm section featuring Clarke, Jimmy Woode and himself, he founded The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band, which rapidly became one of the most noted Big Bands assembled outside the United States. After it broke up in 1972 he concentrated on composing. He lived in Europe, primarily Switzerland, from 1976 and did musical arrangements for Sarah Vaughan among others. He died in 2005.
(Source: wikipedia)
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ALBUM REVIEW
After the breakup of the Clarke-Boland Big Band in 1972, Francy Boland's big band
arranging gifts were in limbo until Gigi Campi and the head of MPS Records, Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, commissioned a set of new arrangements. Francy wrote enough to fill three albums which were all recorded in a Cologne studio in January 1976, but were released separately in 1976, 1977, and 1978. Boland's exciting arrangements were
executed by an all-star ensemble drawn from all over Europe along with a few Americans who happened to be passing through. Half the band were CBBB alumni, hence were no strangers to Boland charts. The first of the Orchestra trilogy is Blue Flame. Francy stated that the arrangements were "based largely on the saxophone section and I have overlaid additional textures with the addition of flutes and horns." Frank Rosolino is featured briefly on the opening number, "All the Things You Are," along with Benny Bailey and Tony Coe. Francy himself carries the lead on mellophonium on the second chart, "Clair Obscur," a Boland composition. The formidable bari of Sahib Shihab is featured on "Dancing in the Dark." Frank Rosolino's best exposure on this album leads off the flip side where he is featured
in a full chorus solo on the Basie-esque "Cross Fire" (along with solos from Tony Coe, Shihab, Sal Nistico, Ronnie Scott, Gojkovich and Bailey). "Autumn in New York" is Ronnie Scott's vehicle, and the album closer, "Yesterdays," features a nice clarinet solo from Tony Coe and solos by trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, the 'bone of Bob Burgess, and Sadi's vibes.
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MINHA OPINIÃO - É lastimável que as grandes orquestras tenham vida breve e que não mais exista espaço no mercado e na mídia para grandes formações como a do grande FRANCY BOLAND, um músico e arranjador fantástico. Falar em "dream-team" já virou lugar comum em meus comentários. Mas não é por falta de imaginação deste humilde escriba, porque é só olhar aí em baixo a lista dos músicos. Me respondam com sinceridade: é ou não é o sonho dourado de qualquer arranjador ter à sua disposição um naipe de músicos daquele calibre? O repertório dos CDs é impecável e TODOS os arranjos são extraordinários. Mas o meu coração bate mais forte quando ouço "EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS" que é uma aula de elegância, competência, bom gosto e categoria de quem sabe muito desse maravilhoso ofício de escrever arranjos. UM POÇO DE PETRÓLEO!
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FRANCY BOLLAND ORCHESTRA: BLUE FLAME, RED HOT & WHITE HEAD
(3 LPs condensed into 2 CDs.)
Produced by Gigi Campi. Recorded januay '76 in Cologne.
Label - MPS

PERSONNEL
*Francy Boland (conductor, arranger, piano, mellophone)

-Trumpets/Flugelhorns:
Benny Bailey
Milo Pavlovic
Dusko Gojkovic
Kenny Wheeler,
Janot Morales

-Trombones:
Frank Rosolino
Bob Burgess
Nat Peck
Eric van Lier

-French Horns:
Tom Baken
Christoph Brandt-Lindbaum
Konrad Alfing
Heinrich Alfing,
Peter Ludes

-Reeds:
Tony Coe (as, cl, ss, ts)
Stan Robinson (ts, cl, fl, ss)
Ronnie Scott (ts)
Sal Nistico (ts, fl, cl)
Sahib Shihab (bs, fl, ss)
Kurt Aderhold (fl, cl)
Heinz Kretzschmar (fl, cl)

-Rhythm:
Ron Mathewson (b)
Sadi (vib, perc)
Kenny Clare (d)

TRACKS/FAIXAS
*CD 1
All the Things You Are
Clair Obscur
Dancing in the Dark
Cross Fire
Autumn in New York
Yesterdays
Close Your Eyes
Hopeless
The Son of Sax No End

*CD 2
Off The Top of my head
Stella By Starlight
The Song is You
Daffodils
Everything I Have Is Yours
As Long as There Is Music
Nargileh
East of the Sun
A Gal in Galico

DOWNLOAD CD-1: AQUI

DOWNLOAD CD-2: AQUI