In the 1950s, when the 12-inch album became dominant in jazz and pop, many labels needed musicians who could record perfectly in the fewest number of takes. Their skills included top-notch sight reading, the ability to play multiple instruments flawlessly and who could improvise fluidly.
To streamline their operations, record producers began hiring groups of top-notch musicians who could come in and make magic together. In New York, one such group of studio musicians became known as the the East Coast Sax Section.
This prolific group of five reed players was comprised of Hal McKusick and Gene Quill on alto saxophones, Zoot Sims and Al Cohn on tenor saxophones, and Sol Schlinger on baritone saxophone. Often times, Phil Woods or Sam Marowitz subbed for McKusick, or Eddie Wasserman might be in for Sims. Other subs were likely to be shuffled in if members of the core group had other studio obligations.
Sol Schlinger was a gifted sight reader, had a superb tone as the reed section's anchor and he could swing. I tracked him down in the early days of this blog, and he was a joy to interview, very funny on the phone and always generous with his time whenever I called him in Florida. Sol died in 2017, and yesterday would have been his 97th birthday.
To read my complete interview with him, go here.
In celebration of his contribution on many recordings, here are 10 of my favorite tracks that included Sol...
Here's Sol with Tommy Dorsey in 1950 playing Johnny Thompson's nifty arrangement of Why Shouldn't I. Sol is on the bottom so listen for the low notes. This was one of Dorsey's great post-war bands: Johnny Amarosa, Jack Dougherty, Stan Stout and Charlie Shavers (tp); Nick DiMaio and Don Plumby (tb); Tommy Dorsey (tb,ldr); Walt Levinsky (cl,as); Hugo Lowenstern (as); Babe Russin and Boomie Richman (ts); Sol Schlinger (bar); Johnny Guarnieri (p); Barry Galbraith (g); Red Wootten (b); Louie Bellson (d); and Bill Finegan (arr)...
Here's Sol with the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra in 1952 playing Nina Never Knew, with Joe Mooney on vocal. The band: Bobby Nichols, Joe Ferrante and Nick Travis (tp) ;Vern Friley and Bill Harris (tb); Bart Varsalona (b-tb); Bill Barber (tu); Al Klink and Sid Cooper (as,fl); Joe Palmer and Charlie Albertine (ts); Sol Schlinger (bar); Lou Stein (p); Mundell Lowe (g); Trigger Alpert (b); Don Lamond (d); Dick Ridgley and Phil Kraus (perc); Verlye Mills (harp); Joe Mooney (vcl) with Ray Charles Singers (vcl); Eddie Sauter (arr,dir,toy tp) and Bill Finegan (arr,dir)...
Here's Sol with Al Cohn and His "Charlie's Tavern" Ensemble in 1954 playing Inside Out. The band: Joe Newman (tp), Billy Byers and Eddie Bert (tb), Hal McKusick and Gene Quill (as), Al Cohn (ts,arr), Sol Schlinger (bar), Sanford Gold (p), Billy Bauer (g), Milt Hinton (b) and Osie Johnson (d). Remember, listen for the bottom notes and for Sol's solo halfway in...
Here's Sol kicking off Ferris Wheel on Manny Albam's Jazz Workshop album for RCA in 1956. The band: Joe Newman and Nick Travis (tp), Bob Brookmeyer and Billy Byers (tb), Al Cohn (cl,as,ts), Sol Schlinger (bar), Milt Hinton (b), Osie Johnson (d) and Manny Albam (arr,cond)...
Here's Sol on Rib Roast from Phil Woods and Gene Quill's Phil and Quill album in 1956. The band: Phil Woods and Gene Quill (as), Sol Schlinger (bar), Dave McKenna (p), Buddy Jones (b) and Shadow Wilson (d)...
Here's Sol on Solsville from Al Cohn and the Sax Section in 1956. The band: Sam Marowitz and Gene Quill (as), Al Cohn (ts,arr), Eddie Wasserman (ts), Sol Schlinger (bar), John Williams (p), Milt Hinton (b) and Osie Johnson (d)...
Here's Sol playing It had to Be You on Big Band Swing: Ted McNabb & Co. in 1959. The band: Burt Collins, Bernie Glow, Doc Severinsen, John Bello (tp) Sy Berger, Frank Rehak, Urbie Green, Dick Hixson (tb) Dick Meldonian, Gene Quill (as) Al Cohn, Zoot Sims (ts) Sol Schlinger (bar) Nat Pierce (p) Barry Galbraith (g) Milt Hinton (b) Osie Johnson (d) Marion Evans (arr,dir) Ted McNabb (producer). (Who was Ted McNabb? Go here.)...
Here's Sol on Mundell Lowe's The Lost and the Lonely, a track from Mundy's movie soundtrack for Satan in High Heels from 1961. The band: Joe Newman, Doc Severinsen and Clark Terry (tp); Urbie Green and Buster Cooper (tb); Jimmy Buffington (fhr); Ray Beckenstein (as,fl); Walt Levinsky (as,cl); Al Cohn and Al Klink (ts); Sol Schlinger (bar); Eddie Costa (p,vib); Mundell Lowe (g); George Duvivier (b) and Ed Shaughnessy (d)...
Here's Sol on The Touch from Benny Golson's Take a Number From 1 to 10 in 1961. The band: Nick Travis (tp), Bill Elton (tb), Willie Ruff (fhr), Benny Golson and Hal McKusick (ts), Sol Schlinger (bar), Tommy Williams (b) and Albert "Tootie" Heath (d)...
And here's Sol on On a Clear Day from Johnny Lytle's The Sound of Velvet Soul in 1968...
Bonus: Here's Benny Goodman singing Gotta Be This or That in 1958. Sol is all the way to the left in the reed section...
