Bill Holman (Part 2)
Read Willis “Bill” Holman (Part 1) and Bill Holman (Part 3).
On March 2, 1954, “The Opener” was recorded for Capitol Records, although it had been in the Kenton book since June, 1953.
What better way to demonstrate what Holman was creating at that time, and what it brought to the Kenton Orchestra.
The first thing we notice is that this large ensemble is playing mezzo-piano. Orchestrators know that dynamics are so important, and usually softer sounds tend to draw us in and make us pay attention. As we listen, we experience three different musical lines going on – a melody, a melodic variant, and an accompaniment line. Holman mixes the instruments:
the melody is played by lead alto and 3 trumpets,
the variant of the melody is played by the two tenors and trombones 1 and 3, and
the accompaniment played by alto 2, baritone, trumpets 4 and 5, and trombones 2, 4 and 5.
So many arrangers have told me that the positive about playing and touring in a big band day in and day out was that you learned what each musician sounded like by themselves and in combination, and you got to experiment. That Holman was so skilled in balancing all those musicians so that each line is clearly heard shows his early mastery.
The ’B’ part of the melody is played by all the saxes except the baritone, with a trombone bed. Gerry Mulligan may have thought that five trombones were unnecessary, but that sound is simply gorgeous here.
I also love the ending. Holman builds the piece to a forte statement of the melody in the key of Eb (the piece started out in F) and the last chord is a doozy – a Cm7(add F) / Db held, an ending but an uncertain one. Wow!
In 1954, Capitol Records gave Stan Kenton his own series of recordings called “Kenton Presents,” which primarily featured musicians associated with his orchestra. Holman made an album for the series with an octet, and wrote arrangements for an album with trombonist Frank Rosolino. He also recorded several other tracks that remained unissued until 1999; it is assumed that Capitol cancelled the series, although they continued to record albums of jazz musicians at that time, so sales were probably not a factor.
1955 was the year of one of Kenton’s truly classic albums, “Contemporary Concepts,” with arrangements by Holman and Gerry Mulligan. One of the titles became an instant classic, Stompin’ At the Savoy.
Bill was all over the place at this point – record dates as a sideman and/or arranger with Conte Candoli, Duane Tatro, Maynard Ferguson, Russell Garcia, Shorty Rogers, Johnny Richards (on bass sax!), and Johnny Mandel (they were the best of friends, and even shared an apartment together for a time). He contributed arrangements for an album with Jackie & Roy.
In April, 1957, Bill recorded his first big band album, which featured a suite he called “The Big Street.” In three movements, “West Side,” Roseland” and “Never Sleep” was another important contribution to the multi-movement works for jazz orchestra composed by Duke Ellington, George Handy, and Ralph Burns that began to appear on record and in concert in the 40’s. This album was a collector’s item for years until the CD era and is easy to find now.
Holman was now in the mainstream of West Coast music, active as a tenor saxophonist and arranging for all sorts of small group and big band dates. He also got called when people like Billy May and Pete Rugolo needed help. It was like an honor when he was called to arrange an album of Gerry Mulligan tunes for a octet date in New York where Mulligan was the leader.
In February of 1958, Holman recorded his second big band album “In a Jazz Orbit,” and this was one of his masterpieces. In fact, I would nominate it as one of the finest big band albums ever made. Consisting of one side of standards, and one of originals, the ensemble was an all-star gathering at one of my favorite studios, Radio Recorders, in early stereo. For me, the standout is his treatment of “You Go to My Head.” After an intro which introduces a four-note bluesy motive (he told me in a letter that it was one of those little melodies that he couldn’t get out of his head), it becomes a musical thread, the melody of the song quoted out of rhythm as the motive acts as counterpoint.
Finally the melody kicks in with the rest of the band. There are solos, and then the band transitions to a section where the key is uncertain, then Holman himself solos, the band sounds like it is going to finish up, and then Holman repeats the transition in another key, ending on a chord that is out of the key entirely. Surprise follows surprise as each section follows the other smoothly.
This arrangement invites repeated listening, and happily it is in print so that bands can play it and musicians can study the score. I’ve conducted it many times with students and pros alike, and it always comes alive. The musicians and audiences love it.
Another excellent arrangement is Holman’s take on “Goodbye.” The Gordon Jenkins standard is well known as Benny Goodman’s ending theme and numerous vocal recordings. Here is Holman’s version.
He starts off very simply featuring his own tenor sax. Things get more interesting obviously.
As we know, the song is structured as a musical phrase and then an orchestral answer (musicians know this as the “Go to hell” motive). Holman saves it for the middle of the arrangement, perhaps saying, “Yeah, I know you’re waiting for it, so I’ve included it to make you happy.” His reharmonization based on his linear writing once again marks this as something to listen to again and again.
In the same month, Holman was called by Dave Pell to submit arrangements for an album with vocalist Johnny Desmond for the budget label Tops (it was issued in stereo on another budget label). The other arranger who conducted the session was none other than John Williams early in his career. The arrangers are not identified for each tune, but it was clear that Pell wanted the sessions to be Nelson Riddle sound-alikes. Hey, work is work!! This was reissued some years ago (the Tops label was later bought by Pickwick).
Holman continued to work for Charlie Barnet and now Harry James, Les Brown and Terry Gibbs, and arranged dates for vocalists Mark Murphy, Anita O’Day Sue Raney and Ann Richards. But perhaps the most interesting ensemble that he wrote for during this period was the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band. With Bob Brookmeyer’s help, Mulligan assembled a big band that was large enough to get a full sound, but small enough to feel like a combo. He flew Holman to New York, rented a hotel room for him and told him to get to work. Happily, drummer Mel Lewis was on the band, who was an old colleague from the Kenton band. Holman wrote a version of “I’m Gonna Go Fishin’” which was first released as a 45 on Verve Records. He also contributed a setting of “Out of This World.”
He even played in the sax section until Zoot Sims could join the ensemble.
Stan Kenton continued to play Holman’s arrangements from his earlier period, and commissioned new work from him. In 1960, Kenton added four mellophoniums to the band (the mellophonium was a Conn instrument that could be pitched in either F or Eb depending which on which ‘loop’ you inserted). An arrangement Kenton played for years, re-orchestrated without the mellophoniums, was “Malaguena.”
Our last part will be a summation of Holman’s from the mid-6os on.
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