Manny Albam: Brass On Fire

I'm so pleased to have found this album as it contains the guitar playing of one of my all time favourite musicians, Barry Galbraith. Barry arranged an awful lot of jazz standards for solo guitar which I am lucky to have and play. The liner notes speak thus. 

Brass On Fire showcases naked brass. Absolutely nothing is presented to detract from the exciting sound of these instruments. There are no woodwinds. There is no piano. Brass On Fire magically blends the brass and rhythm sections and, in a few rare instances, bongos. Special attention must be called to Albam's imaginative usage of French horn which add considerable ouster each time they are called into play. Here then is Brass On Fire by talented Manny Albam. It is indeed a sound investment with emphasis on the thrilling sounds of the brass section.

Manny Albam: Soul Of The City

Manny Albam is new to me, to my shame, and so I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I bought this album. Well! what you get is some quite fantastic jazz ensemble music, featuring some of the 60s session greats (Phil Woods, Mike Ranieri, Hank Jones etc). Info from the liner notes speaks thus.

Solid State was the long-term dream of veteran producer and A & R man, Sonny Lester, who had been turning out a continuing series of hit albums over the decade. Lester's associates in developing Solid State and in creating the finished product were Phil Ramone, the Audio Director, and Manny Albam, the Musical Director. Ramon was one of the most sought-after recording engineers in the Eastern United States, and had won many awards, and served as a sound consultant for major network television programs. Albam was one of the most successful and prolific conductors, composers and arrangers in the nation and had long and impressive lists of credits including Broadway and films. 

I have to say on first listening, this album blew me away with the quality compositions and playing. Solid.