TromboneChat

Just came across this on Youtube. Buddy Rich, West Side Story.

Buddy always played this at the end of set and the lead bone part without the solo is tough. Imagine having to face this and the end of an hour long set, those high D's are tough. No mic in the bell either, he is roaring. Jim Trimble deserves a lot more attention than he gets.

Evidently not long after Buddy started to skip the bone solo as nobody could play it like Jim Trimble. He make it look easy, live on TV...

Dick Shearer told me about him, said he was a complete monster and the nicest guy ever. Played lead over Dick in the Kenton band....

Solo at 8:42...a true master...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Yy7ywnnTI

Nice!

I have spent hours and hours (maybe days, weeks?) watching Buddy videos over the years but have never seen this one. It is easy to get lost in amazement. His bands are SO tight, not to mention swinging, because of Buddy's killer virtuosity. He drives them and plays every part. Only saw the band live once, in about 1974 or so.

The stop time always kills me!

The BR videos are a treasure trove.

I believe he is the greatest master of any instrument that I have ever encountered. Period. Still just unbelievable to watch.

Just spent another head-shaking hour.

Here is one from a couple years later:




PE

PS- yes, I grew up with Jim Trimble's WSS Somewhere solo...great sound!

There's this explanation from Rick Stepton about why the solo was often left out:

I'm the reason. Buddy talked me into playing lead against my wishes. Sight reading the lead book at a concert in England I fluffed the high D's. After the show I quit the lead book and played my Jazz chair on second bone. Buddy again made me move over to the lead chair and I could play the solo when I felt like it which never happened. When are you going to play the solo ? You got 2 weeks. Never happened. I told Buddy to give me back the 2nd book which was the Jazz Book. He wouldn't let me. I was able to create a lead style without having to agonize over Somewhere . Buddy stopped hounding me after Keep The Customer Satisfied. I was back on the band in 1976,77,82 and 86. Why he let me do this is bewildering to me. You couldn't get the lead gig without the big solo. Somehow I had a pretty good career with Buddy without Somewhere.

Jim Trimble overdubbed the solo on the album.

Great story!
I love getting the scoop from the source (or once removed). What an interesting time in that band.

PE

Those Ds are killing!!

Wow!

Rick Stepton is a ridiculous lead player, I have always loved his great sound and style. What a great story!!!

Peter, I agree with you about Buddy, without a doubt, one of the greatest musicians of all time.

MB

Playing in a lot of big bands, both community and at the university and a couple times in pro bands, I've come to the conclusion that the drummer and the lead trumpet player are possibly the two most important people in a big band, if those players are struggling, there's really no chance the band will sound good. On the opposite side, a virtuostic drummer (like Buddy) and strong and confident lead trumpet player can almost infect weaker or less confident players on inside parts to play with more confidence and assertion and make the band sound better.

E:

Also, this may add some interesting info to the Stepton story, and if anyone knows better please correct me on it.

The top big band here played this BR "West Side Story" arrangement a few years back, and from what I remember (I was off the band at this time) there is an optional insert that changes the ballad movement be "Maria" as opposed to "Somewhere", where it featured a flugelhorn soloist as opposed to the trombone part. Potentially it was due to not having a strong enough trombone player to get those high Ds or just for variety after playing it years and years on end?

Awesome!
I went to school with Jim Trimble's son in Vegas (a fantastic trumpet player in his own right). I was just a pup HS trombone player and could not fully comprehend how strong Jim was. We would go down to Union Hall late at night and listen to the 'house" band made up of my friends fathers - all legenadary old school players holding on in the last days of great live Las Vegas show bands.
Thanks for the post to bring back great memories!

The Swingin New Big Band Album was the first jazz album I ever heard and the reason I started playing jazz trombone although it wasn’t Jim’s solo I heard first. It was John Boice on My Man’s Gone now.



It was a great trombone section to be sure.

What is really amazing is that a big band could get 15 minutes of live TV back then.