Private Party

There was a very special night that was off limits to the general public at Donte’s Jazz Club in North Hollywood. California. But the famed nitery was far from shuttered, for inside, the SRO crowd was made up of the “who's who” in the Jazz profession, gathered together for an evening of good old-fashioned “winging it.”

For such a group of top flight musicians to meet al a Jazz club, sans instruments, evidences a very special occasion, and it certainty was. Hosted by Stan Kenton, Mort Sahl, Shelly Manne and Frank Rosolino, the evening became one or happy nostalgia, personal side lights about fouled up club dates, one nighters and, most of all. laughter; for aside from his creative talents, the most gratifyingly special gilt a Jazz musician has is the ability to laugh at himself.

They talked or many things…foolish things…nearly forgotten things…personal things…and everybody had a three hour ball. With Kenton leading the strokes with a deftness that only someone so intimately associated with these talented guys could parry, the evening’s momentum never wavered, and when the wee small hours rolled around, the entire audience knew they had taken part in a unique experience. This album is the result of “that very special evening.”

Mort Sahl, although not a musician, has become an intimate and knowledgeable spokesman and friend of the Jazz fraternity. As Stan so ably puts it, “Mort is the classic epitome of comedic talent. Like the Jazz musician, his material is always improvisational, a bit mind bending and always right on target.”

Shelly Manne and Frank Rosolino, who both played with the Kenton aggregations, reflect on fellow musicians, string players, playing behind the beat, and those long, dull cross-country bus rides going from one gig to another. Med Flory and Harry “Sweets” Edison provoke near hysteria with their comments on experiences with driving cars for Claude Thornhill, “advancement” in the music business and note holding with Count Basie. lt’s all here…well, most of it anyway, just the way it happened that night at Donte’s.

As you listen to the album, quite possibly you can visualize the scene yourself and as you scan the room, you’ll see what kind of company you’re in. Back there in a corner booth is Don Bagley, Dee Barton, Louis Bellson, Milt Bernhart and Pete Condoli. Up at a front row center table sits Benny Carter, nationally famous Jazz columnist Leonard Feather, Bob Cooper and one-time Kenton vocalist June Christy, Bill Holman, Calvin Jackson, Hank Mancini, Don Menza and Dave Rose. Standing at the bar is Pete Rugolo, Howard Rumsey, Bud Shank, Gerald Wilson, Dick Shearer and Nick Ceroli. And holding forth around the rest of the smoke-filled room are more Jazz afficianados whose names would fill most of these liner notes, as they have in countless albums.

It was quite an impressive group to spend an evening with, yet not a note was heard; simply because it was an evening with friends, friends who play Jazz, great Jazz, and got together to swap “remember whens.”

We had an unprecedented ball putting this album together and hope you’ll have a ball listening to it and getting the same kicks we did. It was the musician’s night of, but what a night it turned out to be.

Recorded on location by United Recording Corporation
Edited by Miriam Putnam and Tom Lubin
Liner copy by Doug Neal