Customer Reviews

Tonight Showband # 1

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I will admit having recently received this album as a Christmas gift, it was something I'd never fully checked out before. I had other Doc Tonight Show albums, but never this one. Boy is this one to NOT skip over. Any fan of Doc's playing or the Tonight Show will absolutely love this album. I personally like this one better than the Tonight Show Band Volume 2, although that one is great also. Doc is in prime form and really steals the show on this effort. Snooky Young and Conte Condoli also shine along with Doc on the bright, upbeat rendition of the swing classic "King Porter Stomp". John Audino plays solid lead trumpet. I love Bill Holman's arrangement of Cole Porter's "Begin The Beguine", a high voltage, beautiful piece of big band music. This is classic Doc Severinsen. His heroic trumpet soloing is vintage here. Doc plays beautifully on the ballad "How Long Has This Been Going On?" which is just great. "One O'Clock Jump" is an energetic version of the Basie tune which has an anthemic feel. Doc takes a good solo here also. "Tippin' In" is a swing classic recorded most notably by Erskine Hawkins before, and this is a great vehicle for Tommy Newsome's alto saxophone. "Shawnee" is a speedy swinger, not my personal favorite but it's a nice tune. "Johnny's Theme" is you guessed it folks, the classic Tonight Show theme, and Doc plays a great solo on it as well. "Skyliner" is a smooth bouncy tune that is a bit different from the rest of the songs but it's a nice arrangement. Check out the saxophone section throughout, and the trumpets responding. "Flyin' Home" is my personal favorite, a classic made famous by Lionel Hampton. Snooky Young takes a nice solo but it's Doc who steals the show with a heart stopping solo and then he proceeds to nail the famed high note solo originally played by the great Ernie Royal. This is an absolute must hear. "Bye Bye Blues" is a funky little blues tune with Doc using a cup mute for his solo. It swings and is a strong track. "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" is a classic standard that Doc and the gang play beautifully, although it's not in ballad form it is uptempo, but very well done. "Sax Alley" is another saxophone feature, this time for the tenors, and everyone goes crazy. This song is kind of like a cousin to "Salt Peanuts". Then finally is "Don't Be That Way", a song with some tight trumpet work to end the album, and a nice short solo from Doc.

Any fan of the Tonight Show will love this album, along with Doc Severinsen fans. Great trumpet playing, great big band.

This album is a must for all big-band fans and performers. The opening track, "Begin the Beguine" is the single best example of big-band writing I have ever heard. Bill Holman is a genius!!!

I mainly bought the CD because it contains a version of the *Tonight* show theme--but I fell in love with it because the whole thing is great. All the tracks are highly listenable, smooth, polished, and tight. But on "King Porter Stomp," Doc and the guys really hit their stride and outclass even themselves. Their version has it all: cool jazz, hot licks, swingy rhythms, nifty riffs, Dixieland and Beebop tossed in here and there, and even some pretty neat musical punning. "King Porter Stomp" is my all-time favorite jazz/swing piece, so I know what I'm saying here...the CD is worth its price for this track alone. And, like I said, the rest ain't half bad either! If you like jazz with a cool swing that grabs your attention too, this one's for you.

Back in 1987, my junior high band director played this entire tape to teach us what real big band jazz was like. I have to say that this is still one of the best big band jazz albums ever put out. Listening to it 12 years later, I'd prefer a real bass over an electric one, but it's still one of the best.

This is top quality big band! Doc has always been a fabulous performer, and he shows his best stuff in this recording. He can play as high as anyone else, but with much more command and beauty than all the rest. Standards "Begin the Beguine" and "One O'Clock Jump" are especially hot, and "Skyliner" is silky smooth. A "must have" for any fan of jazz or big band, and for all those Carson fans.

AMHERST AMH 3311 ALL Digital Stereo produced in 1986 by Jeff Tyzik

FEATURING: Doc Severinsen - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Conductor; Ross Tompkins - Piano; Peter Woodford - Guitar; Joel DiBartolo - Bass; Ed Shaughnessy - Percussion; Tommy Newsom - Woodwinds, Arranger; Bill Holman - Arranger; John Bambridge - Woodwinds, Arranger; Conte Condoli - Trumpet; John Audino - Trumpet; Maurey harris - Trumpet; Eugene (Snooky) Young - Trumpet; Gil Falco - Trombone; Bruce Paulson - Trombone; Ernie Tack - Bass Trombone; Bill Perkins - Woodwinds; Pete Christlieb - Woodwinds; Ernie Watts - Woodwinds; Don Ashworth - Woodwinds; Bob Bain - Guitar; Al Lapin - Orchestra Manager; Shelly Cohen - Librarian; Mike Brone - Arranger; Dick Lieb - Arranger

SIDE 1: Begin The Beguine; King Porter Stomp; How Long Has This Been Going On; One O'Clock Jump; Tippin' In; Shawnee

SIDE 2: Johnny's Theme; Skyliner; Flying home; Bye Bye Blues; I'm Getting Sentimental Over you; Sax Alley

Great music from the Tonight Show Band with Doc Severensen, Tommy Newsom and Ed Shawnessy.

Simply incredible top notch playing.

Makes me sad to see the mediocrities posing as musicians on late night talk shows now.

This, by far, is one of the best big bands ever. I had the privilege of seeing The Tonight Show Band in person several times at NBC in Burbank, CA and this recording feels like you're there in the studio listening to the guys. The tracks are clean and Doc and his gang did not hold back. I highly recommend purchasing this CD while it is still available. I miss these guys. I also play sax and these guys inspire me to keep trying. There are decent bands of this magnitude out there like Brian Setzer's Orchestra and Harry Connick's as well. But these guys set the bar and it's pretty high. If you like the big band sound with great brass and woodwinds and everything in between, buy this CD. Play on Doc. You are truly one of the best.

If you were a fan of the old Tonight Show Band, this CD is a must! All the songs we used to hear with Doc & Johnny!