Customer Reviews

Live at Stadshalle Leonberg Germany

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A live recording nine months before Buddy Rich left us, it shows not a scintilla of his slowing down.

Although not the best sound quality, it nevertheless captures BR and his young sidemen rolling through a strong set of the old and new.

"Night Blood and "Winding Way" are heard here for the first time, the former a medium shuffle with what sounds like a Yamaha Concert Grand piano. "Winding"'s intro footnotes the explosiveness that Buddy extracted out of his players.

"Greensleeves", first heard on BUDDY AND SOUL, contains a flute solo as Buddy switches from ride cymbal to high hat. Beautiful!

"Okay With Jay" is a slow blues in the style of "Senator Sam" (from ROAR OF '74), nice baritone sax work.

"In A Mello Tone", in the Rich book since '66, was released for the first time as a bonus track on SWINGING NEW BIG BAND. I had heard it in concert so many times before having an actual recording in my hands. This 1986 version shows the chart played more powerfully than when it first debuted, which was often the case with tunes that stayed in the Rich book from inception until the end. An excellent trumpet solo here.

"Porgy and Bess"--wow! I had always wondered why this Gershwin masterpiece was never developed. It is stunning. Would it have become the alter-ego to WEST SIDE and CHANNEL ONE, had Buddy been around a while longer? The 3/4 "It Ain't Necessarily So", with time solo, is great.

"Shawnee" is an uptempo swinger first heard courtesy of Doc Severinson and The Tonight Show Band on their 1986 recording

"Rockin' In Rhythm" contains what may be the damnest BR solo ever. I'm still wondering if it was him! There are traces of Max (Roach) and Elvin (Jones) phrasing. Soloing over an ostinato bass line, he squeezes notes into a space, Coltrane-style. The man could do whatever he wanted on a drum kit. This is the solo I play for the hard-core bop guys who are closed to Buddy.

"Good News" by Bob Mintzer, was commissioned by Buddy in 80-81 when looking for a replacement for WEST SIDE and CHANNEL ONE. In contrast to these "serious sounding" pieces, written in minor keys, Bob Mintzer is not an angry composer. His compositions contain meloncholy and joyfulness. It's a fine piece of work, with room for a cadenza by Steve Marcus and a inspiring latin section.

In the end, while suffering from tin-sound, it does showcase Buddy Rich still a vital force right up until the end. The repetoire of this set is terrific.

Yes the sound quality isn't perfect but this is definately Buddy at one of his best. "Good News" and the "Porgy Medley are heart thumping!!!! With Buddy passing in less than a year after this recording he is still at the top of his game!!!! Long live Buddy!!!!!!!

Listening to this CD is disappointing. This was a GREAT band and this CD has a tinny sound as if someone reproduced it with a tape recorder held on their lap. Listening to this GREAT band on such a inferior CD is not unlike (what I imagine) driving a Ferrari with bad plugs would be like.

This is one of Buddy's best albums, in my opinion, perhaps number 2 in my list (Big Swing Face being number 1). The drumming is excellent (Buddy's fill near the end of In a Mellow Tone is a CLASSIC drum break) and the trumpet soloist (no credits) on the same tune play's a great solo, with Buddy pushing and kicking him all the way. This CD has what it takes - great charts, good band, relaxed feel, and of course Buddy playing live. Sound quality - not good, but, I used to listen to him as a kid on an old mono-record player my dad built from a kit. You have to get to the music, and get past the mediocre sound quality! Buddy's studio albums may have good "sound quality" but most of them are unispired (because Buddy hated playing without an audience, he always said) and can't hold a candle to the live recordings, which is the "real thing".

Bottom Line -
Every BR fan should have this CD. It's a keeper.

although the recording is a bit uneven, its great to hear songs that i have heard buddy play live, but never knew the titles since he rarely told the audience the titles to his tunes.