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Sam Noto


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Sam Noto spent many years in Toronto. He played with the Rob McConnell Boss Brass for a while. I caught Sam a few times with small groups in both Toronto and Rochester and he was always impressive.

May have seen Noto (me too: not 100% sure, failing memory :D ) in the lineup for a Dave McMurdo Orchestra performance at Art Gallery of Ontario. If my memory is correct the MC that night might have been board member Ted O'Reilly !

Geez, the way things pop up again...

I think (me too: not 100% sure, failing memory :rolleyes: ) I was indeed introducing the McMurdo band that night. Sam would likely have been a sub on that occasion.

By the way, I produced a Sam Noto LP which nobody here has likely ever heard (it's never been put on CD).

"Sam Noto 2-4-5" Unisson DDA 1007, featuring Pat LaBarbera (tenor), Gary Williamson (piano), Steve Wallace or Neil Swainson (bass) and Bob McLaren (drums). Nine tracks played by a quintet, quartet and trumpet/bass duos. Recorded in Toronto in 1986/87. Still sounds damn good to my ears, and I'm looking at the shelved masters as I sit here.

Unisson was my small label, and in the mid-to-late-'80s period, one had to make LPs, cassettes and then a bit later CDs in order to please the market, and that was damned expensive for mastering and stock. I doubt we sold a total of a thousand in total.

And of course, Joe Romano passed away in late 2008...

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Just did a bit of checking my collection. Sam Noto played and recorded for quite a few years with Stan Kenton in the 1950's.

During that time with Kenton he recorded with the Frank Rosolino Sextet as part of the Kenton Presents series. It was

re-issued on CD by Mosaic.

Noto appears on a number of recordings by the Rob McConnell Boss Brass. Many werer reissued on CD

Aside from his dates as leader, Sam is also on these Xanadu sessions.

Xanadu at Montreux

Silver Blue

True Blue

Kenny Drew Quintet - For Sure (This one just recently became available on CD)

Noto is a sideman on this one - Kirk MacDonald - The Revellers - Unity

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There are a couple of semi-obscure local releases, of interest to Sam Noto completists...

Sam co-ran a club in Buffalo in 1965 through '67 or so, called The Renaissance. some 1966 recordings from there with Sam in a gtr/bass/dms quartet was issued in 2001 on "SLR Music"; and a 1999 Toronto release on "Supermono Records" under Sam's name -- a quintet, if I recall...

Sam was a great lead player, as well as a damn hot bebop player under the co-influence of Dizzy and Clifford. The real thing!

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  • 10 years later...
  • 10 months later...
  • 1 month later...
2 hours ago, JSngry said:

So NOT Canadian?!?!?!?!

All I know about Noto is from the liner notes to Dexter Gordon's True Blue (Xanadu, 1977), which mention:

Born Buffalo, NY 1930.

Played with Kenton (1953-60) and Basie ("briefly" mid-60s) big bands, later moved to Las Vegas to play in show bands. 

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On 4/25/2011 at 5:43 PM, Ted O'Reilly said:

Sam co-ran a club in Buffalo in 1965 through '67 or so, called The Renaissance. some 1966 recordings from there with Sam in a gtr/bass/dms quartet was issued in 2001 on "SLR Music"; and a 1999 Toronto release on "Supermono Records" under Sam's name -- a quintet, if I recall...

Looks like there was a successor club called The Renaissance II in the '80's.  I have a Chet Baker date (with Sal Nistico on tenor) recorded there in November 1984.

1005399746.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=3727857e88

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