Pete Magadini - Bones BluesDon Menza is a powerful tenor saxophonist, with a dynamic and distinctive sound and style. Born in Buffalo, NY in 1936, Menza was with Maynard Ferguson's Orchestra (1960 1962) as both a soloist and an arranger. A short tenure with Stan Kenton preceded joining Buddy Rich's 1968 big band in the "jazz tenor" chair, recording the famous solo cadenza on "Channel 1 Suite" (Recorded "live" at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas) that utilized circular breathing and

said: "she hated working in the studio so these are real performances

but Davis's 1976 remake with the LSO proved that the elemental fire of the early recording was no fluke

Magda the gypsy warns Quentin that he is in grave danger and Edward Collins is shocked when his mysterious

I was enthusiastic from the word go because the suite sounds so good on the viola and I hope that the enthusiasm we felt during the recording session is palpable

1 (available on 8

It's also about a bridge to the past

Thanks to his early career in helping to define the sounds of the Buddy Rich Band

The veteran producer and rapper comes in hot

Yoshinori Takezawa (Schole Records) among many others

describing it as "a discovery

as well as to my connection to the 24 etudes

the fine Cuban orchestra of Pepe Delgado