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Recorded in RAK Studios, London, from 2nd to 4th January 2020 Producer – Miles James Recording Engineer – Mike Hatch Recording Assistant – Connor Panayi Cover Image & Design – Marshall Light Studio 2021 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Signum Records. © 2021 The copyright in this CD booklet, notes and design is owned by Signum Records. Any unauthorised broadcasting, public performance, copying or re-recording of Signum Compact Discs constitutes an infringement of copyright and will render the infringer liable to an action by law. Licences for public performances or broadcasting may be obtained from Phonographic Performance Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this booklet may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from Signum Records Ltd. I Got Rhythm Signum Records, Suite 14, 21 Wadsworth Road, Perivale, Middlesex UB6 7LQ, UK. +44 (0) 20 8997 4000 | E-mail: [email protected] | www.signumrecords.com Julian Bliss Septet 1 1 I Got Rhythm 1 I Got Rhythm George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin 3.04 Julian Bliss Septet 2 S’Wonderful George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin 3.07 3 Embraceable You George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin 5.40 Julian Bliss Clarinet 4 Strike Up the Band George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin 3.49 Martin Shaw Trumpet 5 Airmail Special Benny Goodman, James Mundy & Charlie Christian 3.03 Lewis Wright Vibraphone 6 Slipped Disc Benny Goodman 3.43 Neal Thornton Piano 7 Fascinating Rhythm George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin 2.53 Colin Oxley Guitar 8 Rose Room Art Hickman & Harry Williams 4.22 Tim Thornton Bass 9 Somebody Loves Me George Gershwin, Buddy DeSylva Ed Richardson Drums & Ballard MacDonald 2.46 10 A Smooth One Charlie Christian 3.41 11 Soon George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin 3.48 12 Sing Sing Sing Louis Prima 3.49 Total timings 40.05 Arrangements by Neal Thornton, Lewis Wright and Julian Bliss www.signumrecords.com 3 Foreword Ten years ago I made the decision to first programme largely-based on George Gershwin and we’ve included start playing jazz. I had always listened the music of Benny Goodman. As other tunes that Benny Goodman was to it, admiring the incredible artistry we started to explore more music associated with throughout his whole alongside such a relaxed musical together, George Gershwin came up career. I am so incredibly lucky to have approach and ability to improvise, over and over again. It was not only Lewis, Martin, Neal, Colin, Tim and Ed but had never imagined myself the huge list of fantastic works that in the band. Not only amazing to work playing any. That all changed when appealed to us, but also his love of and collaborate with, but great friends I started getting into the music of both jazz and classical – just like too. There are no dull moments when Benny Goodman (what a legend) and Benny Goodman. Some of his greatest we are on stage or on tour and I would eventually put my own band together. compositions could claim to be either like to think that comes across during classical, jazz or both genres and so we our performances. So, here we are, Being able to work and create music wanted to create a show to celebrate eight years later and back with with some of the most phenomenal this rich seam and common ground. a second album! musicians on the London jazz scene is so much fun, and over the last 10 This album is a combination of some Julian Bliss years we have been lucky enough of our favourite tunes to play and listen to tour all over the world, with our to. Some were composed by the great 4 5 I Got Rhythm George Gershwin and Benny Goodman a global audience. Goodman loved were not exact contemporaries as playing Gershwin’s tunes in his famous Benny Goodman was about 10 years small group settings, and they also younger than George, but they were worked together with Goodman both active during the important years playing in the orchestras for the shows of the emergence of jazz music into the Strike up the Band and Girl Crazy. mainstream and contributed to that George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn process in different ways. to Russian Jewish immigrants as Gershwin created ground-breaking Jacob Gershowitz in 1898. He had an fusions of classical music with turn of older brother called Israel. The family the century jazz styles, resulting in his changed name and the boys became unique symphonic style. He also wrote Ira and George Gershwin. George grew When George left school at the age unbelievably, it sold more than two a seemingly never-ending catalogue up playing in streets like all other kids of 15 he found his first job as a ‘song million recordings and over a million of popular songs. Benny Goodman, and didn’t really show an interest in plugger’ on Tin Pan Alley, with a brief sheets of music. known as the ‘King of Swing’, was music until age 10. His parents bought to give customers a preview of the a band leader and performer who a piano for Ira but it was George who George Gershwin was a master sheet music to encourage them to helped bring jazz to a wider audience actually used it the most. Later in his life of blurring the lines between jazz buy it. Gershwin earned the princely – ultimately creating a new ‘pop music’ he said that his early musical training and classical. In 1924 George was sum of $15 a week at this job. For of the time. was mostly coming home from hearing commissioned to write what would comparison, his first published song music played live, and doing his best to end-up being his most famous piece Both Goodman and Gershwin were earned him just 50 cents! George’s play it again from memory. Something of orchestral music, Rhapsody in Blue. instrumental in bringing jazz to first hit was Swanee in 1919. Almost not every 10-year-old can do! 6 7 The perceived brilliance and success good time!”. Despite his short-life, of the piece led to him taking a trip George wrote more than 17 musicals to Europe where he wanted to study for Broadway, several film scores and with eminent classical figures like dozens of hit songs which have become Nadia Boulanger and Maurice Ravel, part of the jazz standard repertoire. but Boulanger refused to help him In 1936 George developed some saying that her classical style would strange symptoms and started ruin his jazz-influenced style. Ravel behaving oddly. Doctors dismissed and Gershwin met for the first time his concerns at first, but following a when Ravel travelled to the USA and collapse he was diagnosed with a brain the respect between them was clearly tumour and passed away during an mutual. Ravel famously rebuffed operation at the age of only 38. George’s request for composition lessons by saying “It is better to write Even though George left the world good Gershwin than bad Ravel, which at an early age his music exhibits would happen if you worked with me”. his lasting greatness. Contemporary musicologist Hans Keller stated that Gershwin was very outgoing with a “Gershwin is a genius, in fact, whose magnetic personality. He was fond of style hides the wealth and complexity parties, and the longer he was left to of his invention. There are indeed play, the better he liked it. Hosts and weak spots, but who cares about hostesses would often take advantage them when there is greatness?” of his generosity. When his mother cautioned him about overdoing it, Benny Goodman was born in Chicago George replied, “You see, the trouble in 1909 into a Jewish immigrant family. is, when I don’t play, I don’t have a At the age of 12, Benny and his two 8 9 older brothers started taking music 1938 in Carnegie Hall. This was the He commissioned a number of lessons at a local synagogue. Benny first time that jazz of this calibre had composers to write pieces for him, became an accomplished clarinet been played in what was considered many of which have become firm player fairly quickly and was taken the home of classical music. Goodman favourites in the clarinet repertoire. with the New Orleans Jazz sound. was reluctant to do the concert at first Benny Goodman’s career spanned six At the age of 16 he was already part but in the end he was convinced. The decades and had a profound impact of Chicago’s biggest jazz band, the concert sold out and Goodman’s band on popular music and the importance Ben Pollack Orchestra. were the stars. He was a perfectionist of the clarinet in jazz and classical and demanded the absolute best Benny started his playing career as music. Some people believe that from the musicians he worked with: a session musician but in his early there wouldn’t have been a swing sometimes regarded as being difficult 30s he decided he wanted to be a era without Goodman. He brought to work with, this drive for perfection band leader himself. Benny’s most the instrument to a completely new made his band the envy of others and famous long-term collaborations were audience and thousands of youngsters one of the most revered of its time. with Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa and around the world were, and continue Lionel Hampton. His first group was On 21st August 1935, Benny Goodman In the late 1930s Benny decided he to be, inspired to play the clarinet just a trio with Wilson on piano and started a run of performances at the wanted to start playing classical because of him.

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