Sammy Nestico And The SWR Big Band
Released March 10, 2009
Grammy Nominee for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album 2010
YouTube: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=GpENzeVNeYk&list=OLAK5uy_kZAYgAGckIc7cJP3yvRJn51szDvaDu2kI
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7BPCd1Eb1fLV0NR97alO6s?si=oDy9a6TRQVasqf1uvTjZ9w
About:
Count Basie’s finest album of the 1960s is easily Straight Ahead. Recorded in 1968 for the Dot label, the album’s tracks were composed and arranged from top to bottom by Sammy Nestico. He even conducted the band.
What’s remarkable about this album is how naturally Sammy’s charts swing within the Basie idiom. Sammy’s up-tempo numbers build repeatedly to satisfying crescendos, leaving plenty of room for Basie’s punctual piano, while Sammy’s ballad compositions are rich showcases for Basie soloists.
Sammy arranged 10 Basie albums, four of which won Grammy Awards.
Track Listing:
1. Blue Samuel (Sammy Nestico) 6:53
Soloists: Klaus Graf: alto saxophone; Klaus-Peter Schöpfer: guitar; Klaus Wagenleiter: piano; Andreas Maile: tenor saxophone; Marc Godfroid: trombone;
2. A New Day (Sammy Nestico) 4:14
Soloists: Libor Sima: bassoon; Karl Farrent: trumpet;
3. A Pair of Aces (Sammy Nestico) 6:15
Soloists: Klaus Graf: alto saxophone; Klaus Wagenleiter: piano; Marc Godfroid: trombone;
4. Out of the Night (Sammy Nestico) 5:35
Soloists: Guido Jöris: drums; Klaus-Peter Schöpfer: guitar; Axel Kühn: flute;
5. D’Ann (Sammy Nestico) 5:52
Soloists: Don Rader: flugelhorn; Klaus Wagenleiter: piano;
6. Fun Time (Sammy Nestico) 4:54
Soloists: Klaus Graf: alto saxophone; Pierre Paquette: baritone saxophone; Klaus Wagenleiter: piano;
7. Celebracion (Sammy Nestico) 4:15
Soloists: Axel Kühn: tenor saxophone; Karl Farrent: trumpet;
8. Struttin’ with Some Barbecue (Armstrong / Raye) 4:45
Soloists: Axel Kühn: tenor saxophone; Karl Farrent: trumpet; Pierre Paquette: baritone saxophone; Ian Cummings: trombone;
9. Orchids and Butterflies (Sammy Nestico) 5:27
Soloists: Decebal Badila: bass; Axel Kühn: flute;
10. Not Really the Blues (Mandel) 3:40
Soloists: Klaus Wagenleiter: piano; Axel Kühn: tenor saxophone; Don Rader: trumpet;
11. The Four of Us (You ‘N’ Me) (Sammy Nestico) 4:48
Soloists: Ernst Hutter, Ian Cummings, Marc Godfroid, Georg Maus: trombone; Klaus Wagenleiter: piano; Decebal Badila: bass;
12. Rare Moment (Gray / Sammy Nestico) 7:44
Soloists: Steffen Weber: alto saxophone; Klaus-Peter Schöpfer: guitar; Don Rader: flugelhorn; Klaus Wagenleiter: piano; Andreas Maile: tenor saxophone;
13. Bye Bye Blues (Bennet / Gray / Hamm / Lown) 4:50
Soloists: Klaus-Peter Schöpfer: guitar; Don Rader: trumpet; Ernst Hutter: trombone; Klaus Wagenleiter: piano;
14. A Song for Sarah (Sammy Nestico) 4:08
Soloists: Klaus Wagenleiter: piano;
15. King Porter Stomp (Burke / Morton) 3:43
Soloists: Don Rader, Karl Farrent: trumpet; Klaus Graf, Steffen Weber: alto saxophone;
Personnel:
SWR Big Band, directed by Sammy Nestico:
Decebal Badila: acoustic bass, electric bass
Klaus Graf: alto saxophone, clarinet, flute
Steffen Weber: alto saxophone, piccolo flute, flute, Alto flute
Pierre Paquette: baritone saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
Georg Maus: bass trombone
Libor Sima: bassoon
Guido Jöris: drums, percussion
Klaus-Peter Schöpfer: electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Klaus Wagenleiter: piano, Fender- Rhodes
Andreas Maile: tenor saxophone
Axel Kühn: tenor saxophone, flute, alto flute
Ernst Hutter: trombone
Ian Cummings: trombone
Marc Godfroid: trombone
Don Rader: trumpet, flugelhorn
Rudolf Reindl: trumpet, flugelhorn
Karl Farrent: trumpet
Felice Civitareale, Frank Wellert: vibraphone
Matthias Haus: trumpet, flugelhorn
Recorded July 28 – 30, 2008, at SWR U-Musik-Studio, Stuttgart, Germany
Produced by Karl Farrent and Rudolf Reindl
Recorded by Volker Neumann
Edited by Manfred Deppe, Volker Neumann
Executive-Producer: Ulrich de Veer
Photography by Alexander Kluge, Karin Farrent
Review:
Famous for his arrangements for the Count Basie orchestra, Sammy Nestico — a cousin of tenor saxophonist Sal Nistico — has always had a productive, if lesser-known, solo career. Self-taught on the trombone, at age 17 Nestico was skilled enough to be a studio musician in Pittsburgh. He served in the military, gained a music degree at Duquesne University in 1950 and was staff arranger for the U.S. Air Force Band for many years. Nestico was also a busy freelance arranger: he worked with the U.S. Marine Band starting in 1963 and led the orchestra that performed at functions at the White House. Nestico started contributing arrangements to Basie in 1967 and during the next 15 years would occasionally write for an entire Basie album (including Have a Nice Day, ) Prime Time, Warm Breeze and the big band tracks on 88 Basie Street). Nestico has also written extensively for films and television, has been a significant jazz educator and recorded one album as a leader: Dark Orchid (a 1982 Palo Alto release).
Scott Yanow (Allmusic)
