Wilbert Baranco

[John L]

I was listening to the Hindsight box set: Big Band Jazz: the Jubilee Sessions the other night. I was struck again by a basic question.

We all know that the war years were tough for big bands. Even the best and most popular bands experienced very high turnover and a decline in average quality of personnel.

So how at exactly this time did a certain Mr. Wilbert Baranco assemble and keep together an absolute dream band with the likes of Charles Mingus, Lucky Thompson, Melba Liston, Vic Dickenson, Willie Smith, Snooky Young, Howard McGhee, Hobart Dotson, Britt Woodman, and other solid talent?

Or maybe the question should be, "why isn't Mr. Baranco more well known?"

[ghost of miles]

Don't know much about Baranco, but I too would like to learn more. He's on one of the mid-1940s Heps that I have with Benny Carter and Gerald Wilson (there may be some overlap with the Jubilee box--haven't compared them yet), and I like what I've heard a lot.

[Chuck Nessa]

He's on the Uptown Mingus disc.

[mikeweil]

According to The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, there doesn't seem to be much definite knowledge about him, not even his birthdate - ca. 1912.

It says he played with drummer Curtis Mosby ca. 1933-34, then ceased full-time performing. He played during army service and then obviously belonged to that elusive circle of modern musicians in California; Vic Dickenson, Dizzy Gillespie and Willie Smith are said to have played at reduced fees with his band, the Rhythm Bombardiers.

He had a trio with Ulysses Livingston in California in 1947 and is said to have worked as a music teacher there in later years.

I have a Solid Sender LP with the four Rhythm Bombardiers titles, seems I'll have to dig this out and have a listen ... actually the Grove has its info from Dieter Salemann's liner notes to that LP - he's one of Germany's greatest experts on early bebop up to 1950.

[John L]

Thanks for that information, Mike.

[mikeweil]

Duh! Wanted to listen to these Baranco sides and found out that they are on Vol. 2 of the Lp series, and I have only Vol. 1 & 3 ....

[mikeweil]

Anyway, this reads like an interesting session:

Wilbert Baranco & his Rhythm Bombardiers:

Howard McGhee, Karl george, John Burks (=Dizzy Gillespie), Snooky Young - tp

Vic Dickenson, Ralph Bledsoe, Henry Coker, George Washington - tb

Willie Smith, Marvin Johnson - as

Lucky Thompson, Fred "Lou" Simon - ts

Gene Porter - bs, cl

Wilbert Baranco - p, voc, arr

Buddy Harper - g

Charles Mingus - b

Earl Watkins - d

ca. late January 1946, Los Angeles

BW 183-2 Night and Day Black & White 41

BW 184-2 Weeping Willie -

BW 185-2 Everytime I think of you Black & White 42

BW 186-2 Baranco Boogie -

All titles on Solid Sender (12" LP) SOL 513 Small label gems of the Forties, Vol. 2

Chuck, did you ever have an opportunity to listen to these sides?