What an amazing weekend it has been with temperatures soaring almost in the mid 70's! An early Spring indeed and the people in this city are going nuts. I ventured out to the Met and saw the African Art collection and the Illuminated Manuscripts Exhibit as well. Both superb exhibits that provied the artist in me with so much inspiration. Today, I am featuring "Pagliacci" which means clown in italian by Maynard Ferguson from his 1976 LP Primal Scream. Manynard was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader who was noted for being able to play accurately in a remarkably high register. He is known for "Gonna Fly Now" also known as "Theme From Rocky". In Primal Scream which came out a the height of disco, Maynard does his own intense interpretation of Ruggero Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci". This song is pure disco drama. The arrangement is done incredible well and you can't help but like it as you listen to Maynard's horn soar over the rest of the orchestra. EnjoySunday, March 21, 2010
Pagliacci
What an amazing weekend it has been with temperatures soaring almost in the mid 70's! An early Spring indeed and the people in this city are going nuts. I ventured out to the Met and saw the African Art collection and the Illuminated Manuscripts Exhibit as well. Both superb exhibits that provied the artist in me with so much inspiration. Today, I am featuring "Pagliacci" which means clown in italian by Maynard Ferguson from his 1976 LP Primal Scream. Manynard was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader who was noted for being able to play accurately in a remarkably high register. He is known for "Gonna Fly Now" also known as "Theme From Rocky". In Primal Scream which came out a the height of disco, Maynard does his own intense interpretation of Ruggero Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci". This song is pure disco drama. The arrangement is done incredible well and you can't help but like it as you listen to Maynard's horn soar over the rest of the orchestra. Enjoy
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While the Rocky theme got permanantly imprinted in my brain as a result of being a child of the seventies, the man behind it Maynard Ferguson somehow passed by my radar so this year I have enjoyed catching up with him via his seventies Conquistador & Carnival albums and now I am going to check out 'Primal Scream' as the track you posted is one hell of an infectious groove.
ReplyDeleteUsually Arthur Russell is about as near as I get to Jazz-Funk as I find the rhythm changes too abrasive to my 4 to the floor ears wheras Maynard keeps the groove locked tight and allows the musicians to map out sonic spaces from the point of the beat and it really works and his music has been some of the best new "old" disco I have heard for a while.
I was actually trying to find either the extended disco mix of Gonna Fly Now which clocks in at 6:23 or the 1979/1980 "Rocky II Disco' when I came upon your blog...do you have a copy? Now worries if not, I am just happy I have found your blog, looks like some original track posts are happening! A rarity these days!
Thanks for your informative comments. I do not own a copy the extended "Gonna Fly Now". I would love to get my hands on it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with you this is some of the best new "old disco" around!
I will try to do my best to keep more original track postings here!