Showing posts with label Gus Mancuso. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gus Mancuso. Show all posts

Sunday, March 29, 2026

Gus Mancuso • Rare and Obscure Jazz Albums Introducing Gus Mancuso

 



Review from AllMusic (by Alex Henderson):
Introducing Gus Mancuso, his first album as a leader, is an incredibly promising debut. The music is swinging, inspired bop, which was hardly unusual for 1956; the thing that makes this LP so unique is the fact that Mancuso's instrument is the baritone horn. Not to be confused with the baritone sax, the baritone horn has played an important role in marching bands but has seldom been used as a jazz instrument. But Mancuso doesn't let that stop him; he makes the baritone horn sound perfectly natural as a jazz instrument whether he is swinging enthusiastically on "Goody Goody" or being lyrical and romantic on "Ev'ry Time" and the Jimmy Dorsey ballad "I'm Glad There Is You." Introducing Gus Mancuso was recorded at two different 1956 sessions -- one in L.A., the other in the Bay Area. The L.A. session finds Mancuso leading a quartet with Gerald Wiggins on piano, Gene Wright on bass, and Bill Douglass on drums -- whereas in the Bay Area his sidemen include Tjader on drums, pianist Vince Guaraldi, tenor saxman Richie Kamuca, guitarist Eddie Duran, and bassist Gene Wright. A fine debut all-around. On Music From New Faces, Mancuso doesn't approach the Broadway material as theater music -- he interprets it, and songs like "The Boston Beguine" and "I'm in Love With Miss Logan" are transformed into instrumental hard bop. People who know these tunes from New Faces normally don't associate them with jazz, but Mancuso is imaginative enough to demonstrate that they can lend themselves to improvisatory bop makeovers. He has insightful, talented sidemen: Joe Romano on tenor sax, Pete Jolly on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Buddy Greve on drums. For many years, these performances were unavailable on CD.
https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/gus-mancuso-albums/54789-introducing-gus-mancuso-music-from-new-faces-2-lp-on-1-cd.html

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Resena de AllMusic (por Alex Henderson):
Introducing Gus Mancuso, su primer album como lider, es un debut increiblemente prometedor. La musica es bop swingante e inspirado, lo cual era comun en 1956; lo que hace a este LP tan unico es que el instrumento de Mancuso es el baritono de viento (baritone horn). No debe confundirse con el saxo baritono; el baritone horn ha tenido un papel importante en las bandas de marcha pero raramente se ha usado como instrumento de jazz. Mancuso no deja que eso lo detenga: hace que el instrumento suene perfectamente natural en el jazz, ya sea swingando con entusiasmo en "Goody Goody" o siendo lirico y romantico en "Ev'ry Time" y la balada de Jimmy Dorsey "I'm Glad There Is You." El album fue grabado en dos sesiones de 1956 -- una en Los Angeles, otra en la Bahia de San Francisco. La sesion de LA encuentra a Mancuso liderando un cuarteto con Gerald Wiggins en piano, Gene Wright en bajo y Bill Douglass en bateria -- mientras que en la Bay Area sus sidemen incluyen a Tjader en bateria, el pianista Vince Guaraldi, el saxofonista tenor Richie Kamuca, el guitarrista Eddie Duran y el bajista Gene Wright. Un debut de primera linea. En Music From New Faces, Mancuso no aborda el material de Broadway como musica teatral -- lo interpreta, y canciones como "The Boston Beguine" y "I'm in Love With Miss Logan" se transforman en hard bop instrumental. Quienes conocen estos temas de New Faces normalmente no los asocian con el jazz, pero Mancuso es suficientemente imaginativo para demostrar que pueden prestarse a reinterpretaciones bop improvisatorias. Cuenta con sidemen perspicaces y talentosos: Joe Romano en saxo tenor, Pete Jolly en piano, Red Mitchell en bajo y Buddy Greve en bateria. Durante muchos anos estas grabaciones no estuvieron disponibles en CD.
https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/gus-mancuso-albums/54789-introducing-gus-mancuso-music-from-new-faces-2-lp-on-1-cd.html


Friday, October 4, 2024

Gus Mancuso • Introducing Gus Mancuso

 



Review
by Alex Henderson  
In 1956, Gus Mancuso had a major ally in Cal Tjader. It was Tjader who brought Mancuso to the attention of Fantasy Records and, thanks to Tjader, he ended up recording two LPs for the label -- Introducing Gus Mancuso in 1956 and Music From New Faces in 1958. Introducing Gus Mancuso, his first album as a leader, is an incredibly promising debut. The music is swinging, inspired bop, which was hardly unusual for 1956; the thing that makes this LP so unique is the fact that Mancuso's instrument is the baritone horn. Not to be confused with the baritone sax, the baritone horn has played an important role in marching bands but has seldom been used as a jazz instrument. But Mancuso doesn't let that stop him; he makes the baritone horn sound perfectly natural as a jazz instrument whether he is swinging enthusiastically on "Goody Goody" or being lyrical and romantic on "Ev'ry Time" and the Jimmy Dorsey ballad "I'm Glad There Is You." Introducing Gus Mancuso was recorded at two different 1956 sessions -- one in L.A., the other in the Bay Area. The L.A. session finds Mancuso leading a quartet that employs Gerald Wiggins on piano, Gene Wright on bass, and Bill Douglass on drums -- whereas in the Bay Area his sidemen include Tjader (who is heard on drums instead of vibes), pianist Vince Guaraldi, tenor saxman Richie Kamuca, guitarist Eddie Duran, and bassist Gene Wright. Introducing Gus Mancuso is a fine debut all-around.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/introducing-gus-mancuso-mw0000903300

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Reseña
por Alex Henderson  
En 1956, Gus Mancuso tuvo un gran aliado en Cal Tjader. Fue Tjader quien llamó la atención de Fantasy Records sobre Mancuso y, gracias a Tjader, acabó grabando dos LPs para el sello: Introducing Gus Mancuso en 1956 y Music From New Faces en 1958. Introducing Gus Mancuso, su primer álbum como líder, es un debut increíblemente prometedor. La música es un bop inspirado y con mucho swing, lo que no era inusual en 1956; lo que hace que este LP sea tan único es el hecho de que el instrumento de Mancuso es el cuerno barítono. No hay que confundirlo con el saxo barítono, el cuerno barítono ha desempeñado un papel importante en las bandas de música, pero rara vez se ha utilizado como instrumento de jazz. Pero Mancuso no deja que eso le detenga; hace que el cuerno barítono suene perfectamente natural como instrumento de jazz, ya sea balanceándose con entusiasmo en "Goody Goody" o siendo lírico y romántico en "Ev'ry Time" y en la balada de Jimmy Dorsey "I'm Glad There Is You". Introducing Gus Mancuso se grabó en dos sesiones diferentes de 1956, una en Los Ángeles y otra en la zona de la bahía. En la sesión de Los Ángeles, Mancuso lidera un cuarteto con Gerald Wiggins al piano, Gene Wright al bajo y Bill Douglass a la batería, mientras que en el Área de la Bahía, sus acompañantes son Tjader (que toca la batería en lugar del vibráfono), el pianista Vince Guaraldi, el saxo tenor Richie Kamuca, el guitarrista Eddie Duran y el bajista Gene Wright. Introducing Gus Mancuso es un buen debut en todos los sentidos.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/introducing-gus-mancuso-mw0000903300