Friday, January 29, 2021

Nick Brignola - Burn Brigade

Amazingly enough, the 16 month old links [now 7 years! ~ grumpy] on this are still alive and well! These two belong together so I felt compelled to roll this one forward too! 

WARNING, WARNING! Do you feel the earth trembling? Your eyes do not deceive you, THREE baritones! You thought Baritone Madness was big, look out for the Burn Brigade! This is a gift once again from the amazing Wid and he dedicates it to Grumpy since it is on his beloved Bee-Hive label.

Nick Brignola - Burn Brigade 
(1980 BeeHive-7010)

01 - Nick Who's Blues
02 - I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
03 - Busy B's
04 - Groovin' High
05 - Our Delight

Nick Brignola - Baritone Sax
Ronnie Cuber - Baritone Sax
Cecil Payne - Baritone Sax
Walter Davis Jr - Piano
Walter Booker Jr - Bass
Jimmy Cobb - Drums

Recorded NYC, June 19, 1979

The big dogs are barking on this one! Normally I'd start out by pointing to that killer rhythm section and spend some time extolling their virtues (they ARE great) but the big boys step up with those bari's and somehow it is all your brain can manage to absorb what you are hearing, three of them just tearing it up! I don't think Brignola, Payne or Cuber need any introductions here at The Crypt, all three are in fine form here and the rhythm section is so good that they do occasionally manage to shine as well. It's just that the lights keep reflecting off of that impossible mass of brass up there.

I'm listening while writing and this is no gimmick album, it is in fact a dynamite very enjoyable bari-bop (my term) journey. They manage to find plenty of room to operate in, out and around each other with great dexterity and when they start trading.....Whew! Another no-brain-er here, just get it! Da Bee Hive stings again!

Thanks Wid!

21 comments:

  1. Nick Brignola_Burn Brigade_Part 1
    http://www.mediafire.com/?7uh78794dj1qp96


    Nick Brignola_Burn Brigade_Part 2
    http://www.mediafire.com/?ekv5o4s1hqr9a18

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  2. Yeah, this is a fantastic album!
    The BeeHive catalogue is pure quality.

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  3. This sounds like it could be quite heavy .... ;)

    Thx a lot KC!

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  4. Thanks Wid and KC.
    This looks exciting and a quick dip of a toe in the water confirms this.
    Looking forward to playing this right through.

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  5. The big boys are light on their feet here, this is a fun swinging session thanks.

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  6. Many thanx, KingCake & Wid!! I can never get enough of the bari world, and 3 of 'em in one group is just super!! Lots of 'Bari Burning' going on here. Again, many thanx to both of you!!

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  7. Thank you very much. I've never heard 3 bari's at once!

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  9. three baris?!!! wowzer. there's gonna be a rumble in my bit of the jungle today. thanks once again to Wid and KC.

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  10. Wow, the brigade is coming in - can`t wait to hear this serious Bari show!!! Thank you so much KC - I did not know this existed!

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  11. Thanks, Wid and KingCake!

    Another fine piece of the Bee Hive puzzle. Note that all three baritonists only play together on two of the tracks, the first and the last. Brignola is the only horn on "Getting Sentimental", and teams up with Cuber on "Busy B's" and with Payne on "Groovin' High".

    Leonard Feather relates that when pianist Walter Davis Jr. was asked to play the session, his response was "Nick Who?", allegedly not an uncommon reaction when Brignola's name was mentioned. However, Brignola recorded four albums in the late 70s (two for Bee Hive) which must have raised his profile a bit.

    The sound of the rip is excellent! However, I noticed a glitch at 1:24 of the first tune. Don't know what happened there.

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  12. Nick Brignola is THE MAN! Thank you very much for sharing this, KingCake.

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  13. Thank you, great share, and thanks again for the live link. Kingcake.

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