George Masso Quintet - Trombone Artistry (1994)

Trombone and clarinet are an unusual front line. However, the concept is not new. This exact instrumentation prevailed in the Benny Goodman Sextet of the early 1940’s. Both, Ken and George worked with the Benny Goodman Sextet at various times. This CD is their offering in a similar context. George Masso describes this CD as his best live recording ever. 

"George Masso is one of the finest trombone players we know and is often overlooked as one of the premier players going." ~ Jersey Jazz 

This German CD teams together trombonist George Masso, clarinetist Ken Peplowski, pianist Brian Dee, bassist Len Skeat and drummer Jake Hanna. The trombone-clarinet frontline works together quite well, and overall, this is one of Masso's finest recordings. Mainstream fans should enjoy the live recording, which is highlighted by “You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To,” “More Than You Know,” “It All Depends On You” and a burning rendition of “Three Little Words.” ~ Scott Yanow, AMG. 

The noted New York Times music critic John S. Wilson called Ken Peplowski "a clarinetist with a Benny Goodman tone and a Buddy DeFranco style." ~ georgemasso.bandcamp.com. 

Nagel Heyer Records, Nagel-Heyer CD 014, 1995
Recorded 27th August, 1994 Live at Amerika Haus, Hamburg, Germany 

Musicians:
George Masso - Trombone
Ken Peplowski - Clarinet
Brian Dee - Piano
Len Skeat - Bass
Jake Hanna - Drums

Tracks:
01. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To {Cole Porter} (7:43)
02. In A Mellow Tone {Duke Ellington, Milt Gabler} (5:19)
03. More Than You Know {Vincent Youmans, Billy Rose, Edward Eliscu} (6:52)
04. Blue Monk {Thelonious Monk} (10:11)
05. If I Were A Bell {Frank Loesser} (7:09)
06. It All Depends On You {Ray Henderson, Buddy G. DeSylva, Lew Brown} (8:53)
07. Just Friends {John Klemmer, Sam M. Lewis} (10:08)
08. I Thought About You {Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Mercer} (5:21)
09. On The Alamo {Isham Jones, Gus Kahn} (9:52)
10. Three Little Words {Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar} (7:59) 

Total Time: 79:32 

Credits:
Producer - Sabine & Hans Nagel-Heyer
Recording & Mixing Engineer - Ben Ahrens
Digital Mastering - Sonopress, Gütersloh
Photos - Nancy Miller Elliott, New York City
Art Direction - woellergestaltung, Hamburg 

The Nagel Heyer Allstars - Uptown Lowdown + Bonus (1999)

A Jazz Salute To The Big Apple

It took a German recording team to enable trumpeter/arranger Randy Sandke to assemble this all-American, 12-piece ensemble for a panorama of New York-inspired tunes, recorded in the Big Apple in the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse as part of the 1999 JVC Jazz Festival. In doing so, he raided the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, as well as several independent history-minded players in the area, and emerged with a band that fires off the numbers with crisp virtuosity in any idiom called for. Thankfully, there is also more than enough gusto in the playing, due in no small part to the live festival recording situation. "The Harlem Medley," a lengthy leadoff stream of delicacies from the land of Ellingtonia, gets close enough to the Ellington sound to convey the idea without being slavishly imitative or ghostly. From there, the band doubles back to Dixieland, works its way up to swing, and slides without a glitch into bebop "Scrapple From the Apple", a Mingus shuffle blues "Nostalgia in Times Square", transitional Coltrane "Grand Central", and some Monk "52nd Street Theme", before being deposited back in Harlem by -- naturally -- the “A” Train." In between the main tour stops, Concord Jazz teammates guitarist Howard Alden and clarinetist Ken Peplowski serve up another of their fluid duets on Irving Berlin's "Slumming on Park Avenue." Other high points include clarinetist Allan Vaché wailing in the trad flagwaver "Chinatown" and trumpeters Sandke and Warren Vaché duking it out on "42nd Street." In all, a well-recorded souvenir of what sounds like a heartwarming local celebration. ~ by Richard S. Ginell, AMG. 

Nagel Heyer Records, nagel heyer 2004, 2004
Nagel Heyer Records, Digital DL, 2021
Recorded 16th June, 1999 Live at Sylvia & Danny Kaye Playhouse, NYC 

Musicians:
Randy Sandke, Warren Vaché - Trumpet
Wycliffe Gordon - Trombone
Joe Temperley - Saxophone
Ken Peplowski - Saxophone, Clarinet
Scott Robinson - Saxophone, Flute
Allan Vaché - Clarinet
Eric Reed - Piano (#1-6,11-13,15)
Mark Shane - Piano (#7-8,10,14)
Howard Alden - Guitar
Rodney Whitaker - Bass
Joe Ascione - Drums 

Tracks:
The Harlem Medley:
01. Echoes Of Harlem {Duke Ellington} /
Drop Me Off In Harlem {Duke Ellington, Nick Kenny} (3:07)
02. Jungle Nights In Harlem {Duke Ellington} (3:37)
03. Boys From Harlem {Duke Ellington} (3:33)
04. Sugar Hill Penthouse {Duke Ellington} (2:31)
05. Blue Belles Of Harlem {Duke Ellington} (3:07)
06. Harlem Speaks {Duke Ellington} (5:28)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
07. Chinatown {Jean Schwartz, William Jerome} (3:09)
08. Rose Of Washington Square {James Hanley, Ballard MacDonald} /
Broadway Rose {Martin Fried, Otis Spencer} (6:43)
09. Slumming On Park Avenue {Irving Berlin} (5:13)
10. 42nd Street {Al Dubin, Harry Warren} (5:59)
11. Scrapple From The Apple {Charlie Parker} (5:48)
12. Nostalgia In Times Square {Charles Mingus} (8:14)
13. Grand Central {John Coltrane} (8:31)
14. 52nd Street Theme {Thelonious Monk} (4:42)
15. Take The "A" Train {Billy Strayhorn} (7:46) 

Bonus Track
16. What's New? {Johnny Burke, Bob Haggart} (5:09) 

Total Time: 82:45 

Credits:
Producer - Charlie Bertini
Director, Arranger - Randy Sandke
Executive-Producer - Hans Nagel-Heyer, Sabine Nagel-Heyer
Recording Engineer - David Baker
Recording Assistant - Katsuhiko Naito
Mixing Engineer - Ben Ahrens
Photography - Alan Nahigian, Ed Berger 

Bonus Track [What's New?]

Randy Sandke - I Hear Music (1993)

The superior and surprisingly flexible trumpeter Randy Sandke mostly emphasizes the mainstream swing side of himself on this highly enjoyable release. He teams up with Ken Peplowski (who sticks to tenor except for a bit of clarinet on "Muddy Water"), pianist Ray Kennedy, bassist John Goldsby, and drummer Terry Clarke for a set of mostly lesser-known standards and originals. Sandke's compositions tend to be based on earlier tunes ("Wildfire" is actually "Liza," "See You Later" is "Everybody Loves My Baby," etc.), putting new melodies to older chord changes. Overall, this is high-quality swing that both looks ahead toward bop and backwards toward 1920s jazz. Among the highlights are "Thanks a Million" (which has a dramatic statement by the trumpeter), "Muddy Water," "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues," and "I Love Louis" (mostly based on "Shine"). Highly recommended. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Concord Jazz, CCD-4566, 1993
Recorded 4th & 8th February, 1993 at Sear Sound Studio, New York City 

Musicians:
Randy Sandke - Trumpet, Flugelhorn (#9)
Ken Peplowski - Tenor Sax, Clarinet (#5)
Ray Kennedy - Piano
John Goldsby - Bass
Terry Clarke - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Wildfire {Randy Sandke} (4:26)
02. Thanks A Million {Arthur Johnston, Gus Kahn} (3:07)
03. Say It {Randy Sandke} (4:45)
04. Dream Song {Randy Sandke} (3:24)
05. Muddy Water {Harry Richman, Jo Trent, Peter DeRose} (4:16)
06. With A Song In My Heart {Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart} (4:48)
07. See You Later {Randy Sandke} (4:54)
08. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues {Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler} (5:15)
09. Domino {Don Raye, Jacques Plante, Louis Ferrari} (5:06)
10. I Hear Music {Burton Lane, Frank Loesser} (3:06)
11. I Love Louis {Randy Sandke} (4:04)
12. Lullaby For Karen {Randy Sandke} (4:48)
13. Benny Goodman Postscript  (0:12) 

Total Time: 52:17 

Credits:
Producer - Randy Sandke, Ken Peplowski
Executive-Producer - Carl E. Jefferson
Recording Engineer - David Baker
Mastering Engineer - George Horn
Art Direction - Kent Judkins
Photography - Ron Schwerin
Liner Notes - Chip Deffaa 

Lullaby For Karen