T. Livingston

Fud Livingston - The Story Of Joseph "Fud" Livingston (2009) {Jazz Oracle BDW8060 rec 1924-1939}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 194 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 171 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 22 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1924-39, 2009 Jazz Oracle | BDW8060
Jazz / Early Jazz / Hot Jazz / Big Band / Hot Dance / Clarinet

A compilation of important recordings by clarinettist Fud Livingston, a neglected jazzman of the 1920s and 1930s who recorded with Bix Beiderbecke, Red Nichols, Ben Pollack, Jimmy Dorsey and other luminaries. Extensive liner notes by Brad Kay tell the tragic but, at the same time, joyful story of Fud's life and music. Includes a previously-unreleased recording by Ben Pollack from 1924.

This programme portrays the ‘birth’ of the flute in France in the late 17th century and the following 40 years of its life as a new and fashionable instrument. A famous patron of the arts, King Louis XIV gathered elite composers and musicians to create the refinement, elegance and good taste that was demanded at his Paris Court. From the early petites pièces to more virtuoso suites and sonatas with their ornamented lyricism and grand dance rhythms, the mellow, robust and almost husky sounds of flutes from this period blend and weave around each other like the voices of two singers.

After a career of 50 years, there comes a time when you need to assemble and present, to yourself and others, a musical roadmap of the places you traveled. I worked hard and practiced a lot, but above all else, I was held by a loving, generous universe.

AMERICAN SCENES, from composer Samuel A. Livingston is, as its title suggests, a painterly tribute to America. The album’s title piece, Three American Scenes, is a three-movement suite that expresses the grandeur of the American west, the serenity of a mountain lake at dawn, and the bustle of a busy day in a large city. The album opens with Celebrating the Fourth, which depicts an American Fourth of July celebration. The final two selections feature works for concert band with a solo instrument – the flute, in Silvertube Variations, and the clarinet, in Balkan Dance. In that last selection, Livingston turns his attention beyond our shores, to the harmonies and rhythms of the folk music of the Balkan countries, especially Bulgaria and Macedonia. Altogether, AMERICAN SCENES is thoughtfully-crafted and unabashedly jubilant, expressing appreciation for America and the world beyond with refreshing sincerity.