Duncan Lamont, who died in July 2019 at age 87, was a Scottish saxophonist who came up through London's jazz scene of the 1950s. During this remarkably fertile period in the U.K., he sharpened his skills with Britain's best jazz musicians and performed often with touring American bands in need of players and behind jazz-pop singers. Lamont also toured in the U.S. with Vic Lewis, the leader of one of the U.K.'s leading big bands. Growing up, Lamont started out on trumpet but soon shifted to the tenor saxophone. [Photo above of Duncan Lamont]
Among the many sessions Lamont recorded on included two albums with a Stan Kenton connection. Both of these recordings were led by American arrangers but are little known in the U.S. [Photo above of Stan Kenton]
The first was Russo in London. For the U.K. date, Bill Russo brought over nine arrangements of his classic originals for Kenton in the early 1950s and conducted the London Jazz Orchestra at a studio in December 1962. Each album side was arranged in a suite of songs. The first side included Portrait of a Count, Egdon Heath, Frank Speaking, Thisbe and Sweets. The second side showcased Bill's Blues, Ennui, Dusk and 23 Degrees North, 82 Degrees West.
The band's personnel featured Ron Simmonds, Leon Calvert, Gordon Rose and Tony Mabett (tp); Johnny Edwards, Keith Christie, Bobby Lamb and Don Lusher (tb); Jack Thirwell and Ray Premru (b-tb); Johnny Scott and Al Newman (as); Art Ellefson and Duncan Lamont (ts); Ronnie Ross (bar); Richard Morgan (oboe); Ray Dempsey (g); Arthur Watts (b); Kenny Clare (d) Raymond Clark, Jack Holmes, Hilary Robinson and Derek Simpson (cello) and Bill Russo (cond).
The results were spectacular, especially if you're a Kenton fan like me and love these pieces. It's so gratifying to hear these songs recorded with a slightly updated approach by a completely different orchestra and soloists.
Portrait of a Count, Frank Speaking, Dusk and 23 Degrees North, 82 Degrees West are from Kenton's New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm (1952). Egdon Heath, Thisbe and Sweets are from Russo's Kenton Showcase: The Music of Bill Russo, a 10-inch album released in 1954.
Ennui is from Stan Kenton and His Innovations Orchestra in 1951. And Bill's Blues was recorded in 1952 and wound up on The Kenton Era, a compilation set released in 1955.
The second rare album on which Lamont plays is Marty Paich's Neophonic Impressions Orchestra. It was recorded during the Anugraha Festival at Englefield Green in Windsor Great Park in Windsor, England, on August 20, 1988 and broadcast on the BBC Radio on January 15 1989. The band featured Eddie Blair, Bert Ezzard, Ken Jones, Ronnie Hughes and Kenny Wheeler (tp,flghrn); Cliff Hardie, Mark Nightingale, Maurice Pratt and Jim Wilson (tb); John Pinege, Tony Randall, Nick Hill, Jim Buck Jr. and Jim Rook (Fr. horn); Stephen Wick (tuba); Ronnie Chamberlain and Peter King (as); Duncan Lamont and Vic Ash (ts); Ronnie Ross (bs); Brian Dee (p); Chris Laurence (b); Terry Jenkins (d); Paul Turner (perc, tympanis); and Marty Paich (arr,cond).
The tracks are The Big Chase, My Old Flame, Just Friends, Body And Soul, Violets for Your Furs, Moanin', I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face, Let There Be Love and Neophonic Impressions. The first two are Paich's arrangements for Kenton's Back to Balboa album in 1958.
JazzWax note via email from Ken Poston, founder and director of the Los Angeles Jazz Institute:
Hi Marc, I hope you’re doing well through all of this. I saw the Russo/Paich post and just wanted to let you know that there was a U.S. release of the U.K.'s Russo in London album. It was called Sterophony and came out on the FM label. The main musical concept behind Russo's new arrangements on the London session is the addition of a cello section.
Russo (above) came up with that particular concept and was able to put it to work with the London recording. When we did the original Back to Balboa reunion in 1991, we actually added the cellos to Russo’s segment because he still preferred that sound. I believe he used the cellos on his Seven Deadly Sins (1960) and School of Rebellion (1960) albums, so he simply continued the cello concept when he went to London for Russo in London.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Bill Russo's Russo in London paired with Kenny Baker's Blowing Up a Storm here.
Marty Paich's Neophonic Impressions Orchestra was recorded off the radio and was never released commercially.
JazzWax clips: Here's Portrait of a Count from Russo in London...
And here's The Big Chase from Marty Paich's Neophonic Impressions Orchestra...
Here's Body and Soul...
And here's Let There Be Love...
JazzWax note: Jeffrey Sultanof provided the following:
Great article. I should point out that Russo's orchestra with cellos was first discussed among his students in 1957 in Chicago. The first rehearsals were two years later. Not only did he add cellos, but he divided the orchestra into two groups seated opposite each other with rhythm in the middle - one group had two saxes, two trumpets and two trombones, the other had three saxes, 2 and 2. This explains FM's change in title, although in mono, the effect is totally lost.
The seating chart for the band is in Russo's 1968 book on Composing and Orchestration, a daunting volume that has many fascinating and important points to make. The two Roulette albums have this instrumentation. At the time, Russo was teaching at Manhattan School of Music, and when I was in college, a student showed me her husband's notes from one of his classes, which were fascinating. Russo was a truly eclectic composer, and wrote far more than people realize.
A special thanks to Rodney, and to Frank Griffith for reminding me of Duncan Lamont.
