Most jazz fans know pianist Alan Broadbent best as a trio leader, composer, arranger and accompanist. But he has also had an extraordinary career as a songwriter and conductor of big bands and orchestras. [Photo above of Alan Broadbent]
Back in April 1973, Woody Herman and His Orchestra recorded Alan's marvelous song and arrangement of Be-bop and Roses. The album was Giant Steps, and I wore it out. On drums was Ed Soph, whose wife at the time was my English teacher in 12th grade. They lived in the area, and she turned me on to the LP.
Last week, I heard from Alan:
Hi Marc. Your weekend clips and post on Joan Chamorro and the San Andreu Jazz Band is inspiring and gives me hope for young people who are moved by jazz and who have a great teacher to guide them. No “modern” twists, just a focus on the all-important feeling. You can see it when they play together.
I hope you don’t mind, but I see myself there with them and I was moved to send you a few recent links to a concert I did with the great WDR Big Band two months ago. I'm not one for self-promotion, as you know, so I hope you’ll take it in the spirit of my having empathy with these young people and my own efforts to express something worthwhile over the years.
Included is a piece I wrote for Woody 50(!) years ago—"Be-bop and Roses." Another is "Nirvana Blues," which I wrote 40 years ago for a big band but It wasn't recorded until I chose the song for my 2005 album "Every Time I Think of You," with a quartet. The WDR's version was polished up a bit by a wiser, more experienced, orchestrator.
With your days filled with all kinds of music, I hope you can squeeze in a little moment or two with me.
Alan is conducting on all three of these:
Here's Be-bop and Roses. What I love about Germany's WDR Big Band is they don't mess around...
Here's Nirvana Blues...
And here's Alan's brilliant arrangement of Miles Davis's Florence Sur Les Champs-Élysées...
Bonus: If you're unfamiliar with Alan, let me offer you three clips that will serve as great entry points.
Here's Alan in 1974 accompanying Irene Kral on A Time for Love and Small World, Isn't It?...
Here's Alan in 1977 accompanying Kral on The Gentle Rain...
And here's Alan playing his own composition That Time of Year. Vocalist Georgia Mancio, who wrote the lyrics, is singing in the studio...
If you love what you just heard with Georgia (and who wouldn't), read my posts on their two albums together: Go here and here.
For my interview with Georgia, go here.
For my interview with Alan, go here.
