"I’ve been wanting to record these tunes for a long time. They’ve been in my mind for years and I didn’t even dare to think that one day I’d be able to record them. The memories connected with this music have stayed with me. Like on a film, the images of the people I grew up with and of my parents changed in front of my eyes. I inherited this music from them. Each of these tunes has got its own story. I recorded them for my own pleasure, but then I thought why not let other people have them? Why not give them some pleasure as well? A lot of these people have now grown old and, like me, have dreamed of hearing this music recorded and preserved for future generations." Ivo Papasov
Live at Falcon Lair has a more interesting back story than many older recordings that have been rescued for posterity, but even the story takes a backseat to the excellent music. Falcon Lair wasn't a club, but the home of Doris Duke (and once the home of Rudolph Valentino), whom pianist Joe Castro married in 1956. Castro developed his musical rep playing around L.A., sometimes in the company of bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Ron Jefferson.