I knew about Claude Bolling's Toot Suite recording when it first came out, back in the early 80's . . . because it was one of the only albums I owned.
In my early married life, with a young baby daughter, my husband Michael and I had left our Cannon Beach, OR home for a job in the big city (Portland)-- only to find the job didn't exist when we got there.
Michael was very resourceful, and found a variety of other jobs. One of these, for a short while, was to be a bicycling ice-cream man. He rode a 3-wheel motorized bike with a freezer unit attached, and sold ice cream in a public park.
On setting out to the park one day, he was looking for some music to bring along. I thought of Toot Suite right away, and knew people would like to hear it. "Take this one," I said, and handed him the cassette tape. They did like it, and he had an enjoyable afternoon. It isn't exactly caliope music, but is wonderful to listen to-- very pleasant and energetic.
In my early married life, with a young baby daughter, my husband Michael and I had left our Cannon Beach, OR home for a job in the big city (Portland)-- only to find the job didn't exist when we got there.
Michael was very resourceful, and found a variety of other jobs. One of these, for a short while, was to be a bicycling ice-cream man. He rode a 3-wheel motorized bike with a freezer unit attached, and sold ice cream in a public park.
On setting out to the park one day, he was looking for some music to bring along. I thought of Toot Suite right away, and knew people would like to hear it. "Take this one," I said, and handed him the cassette tape. They did like it, and he had an enjoyable afternoon. It isn't exactly caliope music, but is wonderful to listen to-- very pleasant and energetic.
Claude Bolling is a jazz pianist and a composer, and starting in the 1970's he wrote a series of "crossover" pieces, mixing both jazz and classical music styles, and featuring different main instruments. This particular suite was written for trumpet and piano, with bass and drums accompanying. The trumpet player in the recording was Maurice Andre.
Although the original Toote Suite recording, with Claude and Maurice, was fantastic to hear, The only videos online only show the album cover. So I looked around, and found one piece from the suite played by the excellent trumpeter Armado Cedillo. He and his band are playing the "Alegre" movement.
If you're short on time, and can't stay to watch all the video, just turn it on and listen . . . and make a sandwich, sort laundry, or do other needed tasks . . . it is a wonderful sound to have in the background anytime (You could even imagine that you're in a park, eating ice cream; what flavor would you like?)
Although the original Toote Suite recording, with Claude and Maurice, was fantastic to hear, The only videos online only show the album cover. So I looked around, and found one piece from the suite played by the excellent trumpeter Armado Cedillo. He and his band are playing the "Alegre" movement.
If you're short on time, and can't stay to watch all the video, just turn it on and listen . . . and make a sandwich, sort laundry, or do other needed tasks . . . it is a wonderful sound to have in the background anytime (You could even imagine that you're in a park, eating ice cream; what flavor would you like?)
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