Chico O'Farrill Arranging for Other Bands

[Teasing the Korean]

7 hours ago, mikeweil said:

if you listen how Chano Pozo developped durin his short tenure with the band, the distinction will be difficult, as he played even on the ballads during the last concerts recorded.

i got burned by one of those albums.  Nothing wrong with the music, but crediting the artist as "Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo" was misleading, to say the least.  I don't think there was a single Afro-Cuban track on the album. 

Edited July 17, 2016 by Teasing the Korean

[mikeweil]

Yes, the Strictly Bebop compilation left off Carambola for some reason.

I had that Moody/Wallington LP for some time - still, no combination of Blue Note and Capitol material, and the Moody tracks incomplete.

There would have been enough playing time left on the Blakey/Moody CD - seems they simply never did think of these Gillespie sides.

And those Gillespie live albums with Pozo are a discographical mess. 

Edited July 19, 2016 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

Back to Chico O'Farrill: I located four tracks he arranged for a Cuban all star big band in 1959; they were reissued in 1991 on CD Palladium PCD-160 under title Tumbao Cubano - Cuban Big Band Sound (long out of print). 28 tracks in all, two complete LPs. O'Farrill's arrangements are not that much different from the others' - he adapted to the task. Maybe this is of interest only for a vintage Cuban music nut like me ...

http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/cuban-big-band-sound/1647-tumbao-cubano.html

The playing is excellent, perhaps not as varied as by their New York counterparts, but technically on the same level, and with the proper rhythmic feel which often was lacking in US bands, even when they had Cuban percussionists. If you want to hear what they could do, try to find it. 

[mikeweil]

Another four tracks by some Chico O'Farrill & his Cuban All Stars from 1957 were include in the 3 CD portrait of  Peruchín - big band descargas.  Peruchín was the best of all Cuban pianists of his genearion, IMO, so if that interests you, it's great fun. 

http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/peruchin-genio-del-tumbao-y-la-descarga-cubana/4055-el-marques-del-marfil-grabaciones-indispensables-1954-1965-3-cd-set-digipack-edition.html

There must be some of his arrangments on this CD, but I don't own it and can't give you details.

 

Edited July 21, 2016 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

Then there is this one:

http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/chico-o-farrill-s-all-star-afro-cuban-orchestra/3655-fiebre-tropical.html or https://www.amazon.de/Fiebre-Tropical-Farrill-Chico-All-Star/dp/B0002UJNDS/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1469001554&sr=1-2&keywords=Fiebre+Tropical

[Teasing the Korean]

I just read that O'Farrill arranged an LP by the Barry Sisters on ABC Paramount!