Trumpeter and flugelhornist Clark Terry had a long career. On his first recording session, in 1947, he was the leader of a group called Clark Terry and His Section Eights for V-Disc. The label was started by the government in 1943 during the American Federation of Musicians recording ban of 1942-'44 that allowed music to be recorded for the Army provided the masters were destroyed. Soon V-Discs were provided to the Navy and Marines as well. Clark's last recording date was in 2008, in Florida.
Over the course of more than 60 years, Clark recorded on more than 950 sessions. This, of course, doesn't even account for his appearances at clubs and festivals worldwide, playing on TV bands, and performing for eight presidents. He performed so often that he became one of the best and most celebrated players in the business with the warmest tone. If you know Clark's sound, you know it's him right away on recordings.
On September 6, 1979, Terry was leading his Big Bad Band on tour in Europe. When the band recorded a radio performance for later broadcast at Hilversum Studio for KRO-NCRV in Hilversum, the Netherlands, he led quite a terrific orchestra: Clark Terry (tp,flhrn,vcl,dir), Dale Carley, John Melito, Bob Montgomery and Oscar Gamby (tp); Hal Crook, Buster Cooper, Chuck Connors and Richard Boone (tb); Chris Woods (as,flhrn); Charles Williams (as); Bill Saxton and Herman Bell (ts); Charles Davis (bar); Charles Fox (p); Victor Sproles (b) and Dave Adams (d). [Photo above of Clark Terry courtesy of the Clark Terry estate]
Now, Denmark's Storyville label has released the recording from that day as Clark Terry: Big Bad Band - Live in Holland, 1979. The songs are A Toi; Rabdi; On the Trail; Don't Speak Now; Blues All Day, Blues All Night; Carney; Rock Skippin' at the Blue Note; Just Squeeze Me; Jeep's Blues; Shell Game; Mumbles; Una Mas and Take the "A" Train.
The 16-piece band has a tidy and soulful feel, similar in some ways to Quincy Jones's big bands in the 1950s and early '60s. The arrangements are by Phil Woods, Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington among others and are all dramatic, bluesy and sensual, especially on ballads. What you'll notice about the band is how tight they play and how much the arrangements suit Clark's beautiful personality and his high bar for hiring players and soloists. As evidenced here, once again, Clark made excellence seem so easy, or at least easy going.
Clark recorded about five Big Bad Band albums starting in 1970. To read my JazzWax interview with Clark, go here and here.
Clark Terry died in 2015.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Clark Terry: Big Bad Band - Live in Holland, 1979 (Storyville) here.
JazzWax clips: Here's Carney...
And here's Jimmy Heath's arrangement of Kenny Dorham's Una Mas...
Here's Clark Terry and the Big Bad Band in performance on European TV in the early 1970s with Clark Terry (tp, flhn); Richard Williams, Stan Shafran, Oscar Gamby and Vince DiMartino (tp); Sonny Costanzo, Richard Boone and Jimmy Wilkins (tb); Jack Jeffers (bass tb/tuba; Chris Woods, Arnie Lawrence, Jimmy Heath, Ernie Wilkins and Bobby Johanson (saxes); Horace Parlan (p); Eddie Jones (b) and Grady Tate (d)....
And here's the Big Bad Band in 1979 at the North Sea Jazz Festival playing Randy...
