Catch the Brass Ring - Top classical players masquerade as Jazzers

Catch the Brass Ring
The Torchy Jones Brass Quintet

CL 1517 (Mono version)

This is the mono release of the above title - chosen over the stereo version because of the (almost) pristine copy of the record used in this transfer: this had been received in its original cellophane wrap unopened since production, possibly now some 60 or so years ago. One or two marks in Track 1 aside, the playing surfaces were more or less perfect.

The Torchy Jones Brass Quintet (TJBQ, aka The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble) were all members of the great orchestra of the same name during the late 1950's/1960's. What we have here is a record of tongue-in-cheek jazz arrangements of familiar tunes, some originating from the classical repertoire. Track 4, for example - Jonesy Swings - is principal Philadelphia horn Mason Jones fronting a big band-style rendition of the famous horn solo from Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony: funny to think that this is the very same player who plays the original Tchaikovsky solo for real elsewhere on this blog (see album entitled 'The Great Melodies of Tchaikovsky, Track 1)! We also visit Dvorak, Grieg, Stephen Foster as well as jazz great Duke Ellington and lighter song composers (see below for further details).

Trivia: Philadelphia Orchestra conductor Eugene Ormandy reportedly had this album withdrawn because he frowned upon the idea of his musicians making a jazz record - needless to say he was a bit too late!

Torchy Jones Brass Quintet

Trumpets: 'Gil' (Gilbert) Johnson, 'Si' (Seymour) Rosenfeld
French Horn: Mason Jones
Trombone: 'Hank' (Henry Charles) Smith
Tuba: 'Torchy Jones' (Abe Torchinsky)

Backing band: Art Ryerson (guitar), Bill Lee (bass), Oliver Jackson Jr. (drums)

Track listing

Side One

1. Riding Home (An adaptation of a theme from Dvorak's New World Symphony) - Frank Hunter/Howard Scott
2. Please - L. Robin/R. Rainger
3. Love is Just Around the Corner - L. Robin/L. Gensler
4. Jonesy Swings (An adaptation of a theme from Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony) - Frank Hunter/Howard Scott
5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore - B. Russell/Duke Ellington
6. That Old Black Magic - J. Mercer/H. Arlen

Side Two

1. (Trk 7) One for My Baby (And One More for the Road) - J. Mercer/H. Arlen
2. (Trk 8) Out of Nowhere E. Heyman/J. Green
3. (Trk 9) Spring Love (An adaptation of a theme from Grieg's Piano Concerto) - Frank Hunter/Howard Scott
4. (Trk 10) Basin Street Blues - S. Williams
5. (Trk 11) Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair - Stephen Foster/Frank Hunter
6. (Trk 12) Johnny One Note - L. Hart/R. Rodgers

I can find no evidence of this album having been produced commercially in digital (CD or download) format and will willingly remove it from this blog should anyone concerned in its production or copyrighting complain about its presence here on legal grounds.

Download links (Flac is high quality, but takes up significant computer space (about the equivalent of an audio CD for the whole album). Use flac for reference listening or for further editing/mixing etc.; Mp3 is more suitable for mobile listening, still of fairly high quality, but takes up much less space. Both downloads come with the same notes and high resolution artwork. Click on above image for preview):

Catch the Brass RingFLAC

Catch the Brass RingMP3

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