Shorty Rogers

Jitterbug "45"

Blues For Brando

1. Block Buster
2. Short'nin' Bread

November 19, 1952

1. Block Buster
2. Dynamite

November 19, 1952

 LINER NOTES

Trumpet, flugelhom, composing, arranging, orchestra direction

1924 Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on April 14.

Grew up in New York, where he studied trumpet of the High School of Music and Arts.

Heard the music of Count Basis at the Apollo and found it electrifying.

1942 Played for sometime in Will Bradley's orchestra before joining Red Norvo's group, where he remained until May, 1945.

1943 Left to perform his military service.

1945-6 Recorded four numbers with a sextet directed by Cozy Cole.

Recorded Red Norvo's nonet for a concert at the Town HaII.

During this period he performed in a show in Chicago along with Earl Swope, Emmet Carls, Chubby Jackson, Don Lamond and Lennie Tristano.

Having received his permanent military discharge, he found work as a soloist and arranger in Woody Herman's first "Herd." He arranged "Steps", "Igor," and "Nero Conception" (written especially by Red Norvo) for "The Woodchoppers."

Recorded with Kai Winding's 'Kai's Krazy Kats", along with Stan Getz and Shelly Manne.

1947 Moved to California. Studied composition and arrangement at the Los Angeles Conservatory along with Jimmy Guiffre.

Worked first with Charlie Barnet, then with the saxophonist-singer Butch Stone. At the end of the year returned to Herman's second herd, along with the Four Brothers, contributing to the success of the band with his compositions (Keen and Peachy Keeper of the Flame More Moon) and his arrangements (Lemon Drop, That's Right).

1950 Worked with Stan Kenton's "Innovators in Modern Music." Some of this band's successes bear his signature as composer and arranger (Jolly Rogers, Round Robin, Art Pepper, Viva Prado).

1951 Having left Kenton, Shorty played and recorded as the leader of two groups. Moved to Los Angeles and became a leader of the "West Coast" trend.

With his working companions Jimmy Giuffre and Shelly Manne, he created new musical solutions in the search for orchestral tone mixtures, with respect for melody and "canonical" harmonizing, discontinuing atonal experiments.

Along with Jack Lewis, created the group 'Giants,' with which he worked for some time.

1951 Paid homage to Count Basis, his great inspiration, in the record "Shorty Courts the Count".

1955 At the height of his success, one of the arrangers most in demand at the time. Became musical director of RCA Victor.

1956 Hired as producer of RCA Victor. Wrote and arranged for many California artists.

Composed the music for the following films: "The Wild Ones", "The Glass Wall", "The Man With the Golden Arm" and for a number of TV series (Starsky & Hutch).

1963-81 Worked primarily in movie studios.

1982 Played in England with the National Youth Orchestra.

1983 Formed the "West Coast Giants". Did a tour in Japan.

1985 Invited to the 'Grand Parade of Jazz' in Nice.

During subsequent years worked more and more often for the movie industry.

1991 He died on November 7 in Van Nuys, California.

The Shorty Rogers Band was one of the most representative groups of West Coast jazz. Its principal characteristic was to make arrangements with impeccable precision, in a pursuit of stylistic perfection without ever abandoning swing.