West Side Story recording

Michael

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Jan 19, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/19/97

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I am in an eternal search for a recording of West Side Story with a good
strong lead player. After seeing the Australian production with John
Hoffman on lead (worked with Buddy Rich and Woody Herman B'Bands) I have
not heard one recording that comes close to matching. I have two
recordings, the first is by the New York Phil. in 1960 under Leonard
Bernstein (so I suspect the principal trumpet is William Vacciano) and
the second is by the Israel Phil. also under the baton of Leonard
Bernstein. Don't get me wrong-these recordings are very good but lack the
fire that a good commercial lead player could breath into the part. If
anyone kows of any good recordings could they please contact me.
Thanks very much.
Michael Rogers

Mike Kaiser

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Jan 19, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/19/97

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Michael,

Find the Stan Kenton recording, released on CD in the US in 1995, of
West Side Story. The lead playing is by Dalton Smith and Bud Brisbois
and it's some of the most intense trumpet stuff ever recorded. If you
can't find a copy down there, let me know and maybe be can work out a
trade--after all I'm always looking for some good James Morrison CDs.

Mike

liv...@ibm.net

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Jan 21, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/21/97

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Try "Leonard Bernstein Conducts West Side Story" on Deutsche Grammophon
415253-1. This is a two-record vinyl disk version. It also is on CD.

The recording features Kiri Te Kanawa, Jose Carreras, Tatiana Troyanos,
Kurt Ollmann and Marilyn Horne.

I believe a video was made of the recording session. I taped it from an
A&E program; but, I suspect it is commercially available too. The video has
good shots of the orchestra and the singers in rehearsal.

LHI

WWise72606

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Jan 21, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/21/97

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I played First Trumpet on that recording,Phil Ruektenwald and Dave Gale
rounded out the section.
I think this band was better than the original cast album band.
Julius Baker on Flute. WOW
Wilmer Wise

Stephen Erickson

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Jan 21, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/21/97

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liv...@ibm.net wrote:
> Try "Leonard Bernstein Conducts West Side Story" on Deutsche Grammophon
> 415253-1. This is a two-record vinyl disk version. It also is on CD.
> The recording features Kiri Te Kanawa, Jose Carreras, Tatiana Troyanos,
> Kurt Ollmann and Marilyn Horne.

No offense, but as far as this recording is concerned, BLECH! It seems to
happen whenever an opera singer tries to interpret American popular
music: failure. Of course, this is simply my opinion, and if all you're
interested in is a good lead player, it might fit the bill, but I think
you can do better.

In fact, Stan Kenton recorded an entire album of instrumental arrangements
of WSS material, and if I am correct, Kenton's band had some decent, fair-
to-middling, could-use-one-in-a-pinch lead players over its history.

Stephen

Tom Warner

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Jan 24, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/24/97

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In article <5c2spl$m...@news.wco.com>,
Stephen Erickson <ezs...@wco.com> wrote:

>In fact, Stan Kenton recorded an entire album of instrumental arrangements
>of WSS material, and if I am correct, Kenton's band had some decent, fair-
>to-middling, could-use-one-in-a-pinch lead players over its history.

That's one of my favorites... anyone know if/where it's available on cd?

Tom

JFDonaldsn

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Jan 25, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/25/97

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I got the following information from the Tower Records site on America
OnLine, which means that it is probably readily available from other
places as well. It's got one of those decent lead players, Bud Brisbois.

Jim Donaldson, Denver, Colorado

STAN KENTON
Stan Kenton's West Side Story
Label: Capitol/EMI Records
Compact Disc $11.99 (+ s/h)
Released: 11/01/94 Originally Released: n/a
Producers: Lee Gillette; Kent Larson

Track Listing:
1. Prologue
2. Something's Coming
3. Maria
4. America
5. Tonight
6. Cool
7. I Feel Pretty
8. Officer Krupke
9. Taunting Scene (The Rumble)
10. Somewhere {a}
11. Finale {a}

Personnel includes: Stan Kenton (piano), Gabe Baltazar (alto saxophone),
Paul Renzi, Sam Donahue (tenor saxophone), Wayne Dunstan (baritone & bass
saxophones), Marvin Holladay (baritone saxophone), Conte Candoli, Dalton
Smith, Bud Brisbois, Larry McGuire, Bob Rolfe, Sanford Skinner, Ernie
Bernhardt (trumpet), Bob Fitzpatrick, Paul Heydorff, Jack Spurlock
(trombone), Clive Acker (tuba), Pete Chivily (bass), Jerry McKenzie
(drums), Lou Singer (tympani), George Acevedo (congas), Mike Pacheco
(bongos).

Reissue producer: Ted Daryll.
Recorded at Goldwyn Sound Stage 5, Hollywood, California on March 15-16
and April 11, 1961.