AOTW: Roger Kellaway Cello Quartet

[Captain Bacardi]

Roger Kellaway Cello Quartet (A&M SP 3034)

Producer: Stephen Goldman

The Roger Kellaway Cello Quartet with the A&M Symphony Orchestra conducted by the composer.

Roger Kellaway - Piano
Ed Lustgarten - Cello
Chuck Domanico - Bass
Emil Richards - Percussion
Joe Pass - Guitar on Jorjana #2 & #8
Erno Neufeld - Violin solo on Jorjana #8

Songs: (All composed by Roger Kellaway)

• Saturnia
  Sunrise
  Morning Song
  Jorjana #2
  Esque
  On Your Mark, Get Set Blues
  Invasion Of The Forest
  Jorjana #8

Capt. Bacardi
NP: Herb Alpert - Guest Appearances #2

 

[snapcrotch]

Yet another A&M pearl, brilliantly conceived by a jazz piano player ** who also could arrange for cello quartet and orchestra. Herb recognized its beauty and genius, yet 'Quartet' landed on the record market with all the impact of a feather. Radio programmers couldn't decide if it was classical or jazz, so most ended up hawking 'em to record store promo bins, where copies of this pearl would sit unnoticed for several years.
And yet A&M (you gotta love 'em!) had the chutzpah to release a follow-up in 1974, 'Come To the Meadow' (SP-3618), which died an even quicker death.
** For the most inside-out, mind-fracturing blues on solo piano, listen to 'On Your Mark, Get Set, Blues'.
'Quartet' was briefly available as A&M CD 3314, around 1988.

 

[Mr Bill]

There was even a third Kellaway album for A&M called Center Of The Circle (SP3040). Perhaps A&M let him do two more albums despite lacklustre sales as payback for all the arranging/producing he'd done for the label in the previous decade? At any rate, this music was hard to categorize at the time: too jazzy to be classical, to classical to be jazz. Today we call it New Age.

--Mr Bill

 

[jimac51]

I can see hanging the New Age albatross on Paul Winter,but Roger Kellaway is much too much a pure jazz musician. A little dose of Bill Evans(who did some orchestral work with Claus Ogerman), which never hurts,but the guy is so versatile(just remember the closing credits to "All In The Family" and you can see how much he knows early jazz) that the Cello Quartet is just one color in his palettte. A favorite-LIVE AT MAYBECK HALL on Concord(BTW-there ain't a dud in the Maybeck series and you may see some cutouts at Barnes & Noble nowadays). Solo piano,live,no overdubs-all ballads-all the time,with the first piece "How Deep is the Ocean"-well,it's just the right touch. And few could perform a reading of Hoagy Carmichel's "New Orleans" and run with it for almost ten minutes. In the same league as Dick Hyman and Hank Jones-under appreciated chameleons who's ordinary work(the Cello stuff is extraordinary)is beyond what many pros will never reach. Mac

 

[Mr Bill]

I agree with you Mac, but I think his three A&M LPs fit the "New Age" pantheon moreso that they do the jazz pantheon. Don't get me wrong -- I enjoy these albums and it says volumes about Kellaway's versatility that he was doing this kind of music a decade before the term "new age" even existed (in music at any rate).

--Mr Bill

 

[jimac51]

Bill-I do remember playing this album on a few times on a New Age-ish show on one of our local college radio stations here in the Lehigh Valley(locals kept the stations on 24/7 when the students were away). Always trying to go against the grain of what was expected(some of those guys played a lot of electronic dream drivel and a bit too much Windham Hill for my liking)I liked dipping into the ECMs,Chick Corea solo stuff and,yeah, Winter,who I like a lot. My criteria was that it wasn't supposed to just soothe(we were slotted right after drive home time)but have some backbone to it. The classical parts that a guy like Kellaway brought was easy to add in the mix. This LP got lots of workout on my morning shows,too. I found a cutout copy of this at Third Street Jazz & Rock(started by a co-founder of Evidence Records) while serving jury duty on Federal Court in Phillyin the early '80s. I wish I had a cleaner replacement today. Mac

 

[LPJim]

Kellaway also is featured on Carroll O'Connor's REMEMBERING YOU (SP 4340), playing piano background for the actor/singer's set of 1930s standards. "Remembering You" (instrumental version) was the closing theme for 'All in the Family.'
JB
NP: Carroll O'Connor "Would You Like to Take a Walk?" (from SP 4340)

 

[snapcrotch]

The Baja Marimba Band's last A&M LP, 'As Time' Goes By', saw some heavy Kellaway involvement. He arranged (or co-arranged with Wechter) 8 of 11 tracks -- and I'd swear I hear Roger's keyboard fills here and there.

 

[snapcrotch]

This is a follow-up to jimac51's tip about the excellent Maybeck Hall series of solo piano (and several duo w/ bass or guitar) from the flailing Concord Jazz label. Jim wrote that, along with Roger Kellaway, there are many more available at bargain prices. Yes indeed, how's $5.98 sound? The are currently 10 Maybeck (and 60 other Concord titles) available from Daedalus Music (www.salemusic.com) at this price. Of the Maybeck recital series at this discount price, let me commend the CDs by Kenny Werner, Jaki Byard, Alan Broadbent, and Kenny Drew, Jr. You can't go wrong with any of them -- AMG routinely gives the Concord Maybecks 5- star ratings. When Concord owner/producer Carl Jefferson died a couple years ago, the label went into a tail-spin. And now, there's 300-plus deep catalog titles that are likely to be moved out in a serious way. Though the wealthy Mr. Jefferson had high standards and good taste, the cost of warehouse space looms large for the current owners.

 

[jimac51]

The B&N Concord cutouts are a bit cheaper(3.99 and they might have had a 3/10 discount) but selection will vary from store to store and Daedalus does have the selection right at your fingertips. I believe the current regime that owns Concord has the entire back catalog available on one of those pay-by-selection web sites. The problem there is what goodies to get and what to leave behind,and the reduced quality in sound discussed in other areas of the forum here. Meanwhile,lots of back catalog is being cutout while they bring out a two-fer series that puts many of the deleted titles together again- so go figure. I think they are really trying to maintain profits in a scary market,especially for traditional jazz. They've done a Jazz For A knock off,a composer series,themes like Father's Day and golf-new ways to put good music in unsuspectiong hands. They now handle the Rippingtons,Chick Corea and his Stretch label,Michael Feinstein(with a boutique label,too),Barry Manilow and Patty Austin(her tribute to Ella,recorded for Germany, kicks serious derriere(I didn't want to offend anyone by saying butt,oops). I hope they survive under this wave of operation-it may not be Carl's dream but they are trying to keep the torch lit while not getting pi**ed on-oops,again. BTW,my Maybeck suggestions include Jim McNeely, Joanne Brackeen,Toshiko Akioshi and Dick Hyman(the best of the lot that I've heard). Kellaway has a very nice duo entry with bassist Red Mitchell. And,as June 16th approaches(Bloomsday,for all of you James Joyce fans),it might be appropriate to order from Daedalus,a company apparantly named after Joyce's alter ego. Mac

 

[Dave]

There was even a third Kellaway album for A&M called Center Of The Circle (SP3040). Perhaps A&M let him do two more albums despite lacklustre sales as payback for all the arranging/producing he'd done for the label in the previous decade? At any rate, this music was hard to categorize at the time: too jazzy to be classical, to classical to be jazz. Today we call it New Age.

--Mr Bill

I think Kellaway always termed "New Age" as "Newage" (Rhymes With SEWAGE!).

The only album I've got of his is CENTER OF THE CIRCLE A&M SP 3040. Favorite track is last one on Side 1, "Lay Karma Lay"! :bigevil:

Dave

...who also has Kellaway featured on Carroll O' Connor's REMEMBERING YOU, JJ& K's BETWIXT & BETWEEN and all those MELANIE Albums!!!