Search - Billy May :: Bill's Bag & Big Fat Brass

Big Band Brass at its Best

Tad Ulrich | Los Angeles, CA United States | 10/14/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd reissue would be worth the price of admission if just for BIG FAT BRASS (June 1958) alone. It is not only Billy May's best album but is also one of the finest, if not THE finest, brass albums ever made. It also won the 1958 grammy for best instrumental performance; no mean feat considering the overall excellence of jazz/popular music produced during that period. It is an unconventional, watershed album that solidified May as an arranger of uncommon savvy and sensibilities. But BILL'S BAG (1963) is also a commendable effort in its own right.BIG FAT BRASS personnel were the cream of the crop of Hollywood musicians, including the likes of Conrad Gozzo, Si Zentner, Manny Klein and Maynard Ferguson among many others. Fortunately May also utilized his regular superb rhythm section of Paul Smith, piano; Joe Mondragon, bass; Al Hendrickson, guitar; and the always impeccable Alvin Stoller on drums. There was also a percussion section giving added color.The tunes are uniformly excellent with the rousing BRASSMEN'S HOLIDAY starting the proceedings. Also outstanding is the relentless martial beat of RETURN OF THE ZOMBIE, impressive in its power and swagger and an almost mystical ON A LITTLE STREET IN SINGAPORE. There is also what I consider THE definitive version of INVITATION (hear for yourself!). One of my favorites is JOOM JOOMS, a fine showcase for the smooth brass ensemble and May's unstoppable sense of humor.BILL'S BAG returns to the conventional big band format with the return of the reed section. There are romping swingers, such as THE LATE LATE SHOW, THE PREACHER, and CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT (featuring what sounds like Maynard Ferguson in the stratosphere) and a very Mancini-like UH OH! (Nutty Squirrels). This album is unlike any other May You've ever heard before, much more jazz oriented.Fortunately both albums were remastered for this cd in stereo and the results are sonically outstanding. There are reproductions of the album front and back covers and that's about it. That means no player personnel listing for BILL'S BAG.This cd two-fer comes very highly recommended, so sit back and dig some truly great music created by a master of his craft."

Incredible brass playing!

Larry Olson | Corona, CA United States | 07/08/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This features two of Billy May's best albums together on one CD. The real dazzler is May's Big Fat Brass album. The style of music might be best described as Jazz-Pop and it features basically a standard big band instrumentation except that the sax section is replaced by 5 french horns. The musicians are the cream of LA's studio session players, and Billy gives them one heck of a workout. The arrangements really showcase the brass. I've had the LP of this since the early '60's and the digital mastering is top notch. It sounds as if it were recorded yesterday. Bill's Bag (from 1963) features a more conventional big band instrumentation and fine arranging. Again, the brass are also front and center, with some incredible "screech" trumpet playing. The 6-page note insert features reproductions of the front and back of each original LP album cover (although you'll need a good-quality magnifying glass to actually read them!). If you like jazz and audacious brass playing, this album is for you."

Some corrections to previous reviews

Joyce O. Barker | centerport, n.y. | 01/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"a previous review stated that maynard ferguson was on "big fat brass". my copy has the personnel listed and maynard is NOT on the album. he is not on the album cover listed nor do my ears tell me he's on it. although personnel is not listed on bill's bag, judging from the sound and the date (1963) the scream trpt. is most likely bud brisbois. of all the billy may album's i've heard these two are clearly the best two!"