A collection of essays from the internet; these are not necessarily the views of BobbyHebb.com - but on this 50th Anniversary, we're exploring the myth and the facts behind Bobby Hebb's "Sunny"
How News Of JFK Assassination Broke In Real Time
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/21/media-jfk-assassination-coverage-1963_n_4319651.html
Really eased the pain. – Sunny by Bobby hebb - Rap Genius
- http://rock.rapgenius.com/Bobby-hebb-sunny-lyrics#note-1846318
The song was written 48 hours after John F. Kennedy's assassination and Bobby ... To help improve the meaning of these lyrics, visit "Sunny" by Bobby hebb ...The song was written 48 hours after John F. Kennedy’s assassination and Bobby Head’s brother being stabbed to death outside a club in Memphis. It was the writer choice to his optimism — “sunny” times rather than drawn in sorrow.___________________________________________________________From the editor:Bobby Hebb immersed himself in Gerard Wilson's amazing jazz lp You Better Believe It.
AllMusic review
http://www.allmusic.com/album/you-better-believe-it-mw0000871569
FRESH SOUNDS
Review on "You Better Believe it":
"Long out of print, the sophisticated and timeless instrumental work titled You Better Believe It by underrated conductor/arranger Gerald Wilson is a first-rate masterpiece released on the Pacific Jazz label in 1961. [...] Beginning with "Blues for Yna Yna," the album starts off like an intriguing spy movie complete with understated dramatic tension. Written for Wilson's pet cat, according to liner note writer John William Hardy, the almost seven-minute excursion features the reeds of Harold Land. Explosive horns chirp over Richard "Groove" Holmes' jazz organ solos, but the 17-piece orchestra never gets in the way -- just the opposite as Wilson adds this or that in clever fashion so that the pieces stay fresh over endless spins. "Jeri," the second title and written for Wilson's daughter, is almost half the length of the opening track, but pulls away the curtain and explodes with the horns flowing and Holmes' keyboard ebbing, the rhythm section of drummer Mel Lewis and bassist Jimmy Bond directing the current so everything else can fall nicely into place. "Moody Blue," with its pensive and majestic oozing prowl, was a major inspiration to "Sunny" author and Wilson aficionado Bobby Hebb who immersed himself in this album in the early '60s and pointed out: "The great Gerald Wilson believed in the talent of Richard Holmes." Indeed, Wilson gave Holmes a tremendous platform to infuse his ideas with those of the other gifted players, Joe Maini on alto, Walter Benton on tenor, and reed player Teddy Edwards, who helps open side two with his participation on "The Wailer." "The Wailer" is almost like a "Part Two" to side one's opening track, "Blues for Yna Yna," back to the spy movie style -- and Hardy's essay notes that it was written for a television play. One website claims Wilson appeared as a trumpeter in a 1959 CBS-TV drama, Lineup, for an episode called The Wailer. On the track with the same name as the TV episode the music creeps in and evolves into thickly textured swirls of brass, keyboards, and advancing drums. Richard "Groove" Holmes' organ swells up about six minutes into the seven-and-a-half minute expedition, just a marvelous performance that transcends jazz and borders on modern pop, a foundation for things that became mainstream within a decade of its release.
On the back cover of the original imprint, Hardy calls this disc "one of the most thoroughly ingratiating big-band jazz recordings in years," and the test of time proves Hardy correct. The 17-piece orchestra performs like a trio or quartet, each musician knowing where to be and when to execute, so the tension shifts and the moods change as subtle instrumentation slides in track by instrumental track. Shifting from quiet to quickly dramatic, the ideas keep flowing from Wilson's creative fount and titles like "Straight Up & Down" continue the mission inside the under four minutes. It sure feels as if Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago were inspired by these sounds from 1961, and most certainly the Henry Mancini composed original soundtrack to The Pink Panther, recorded in 1963 and released in 1964, owes some debt to You Better Believe It. That this music is so film-ready should come as no surprise as Wilson was involved in the soundtrack to the motion picture Where the Boys Are in the '60s and other TV and movie work. "Gerald Wilson's groove can only be told if you have the strength to pull the corner of your lips out of your ears, because he produces a heavy smile" Bobby Hebb says of one of his favorite artists specifically for this review, and it's difficult to disagree. You Better Believe It somehow got lost in the shuffle in the 46 years between when it was released and when this review was written. It's a textbook for future generations, a dynamic and powerful combination of sounds waiting to inspire the world again."
Joe Viglione -All Music Guide
________________________________Personnel on "You Better Believe it!":
Gerald Wilson, leader, arranger, conductor & trumpet.
Collective personnel including: Carmell Jones, Ray Triscari, Jimmy Zito, Johnny Audino, Al Porcino, Jack Traynor (tp); Bob Edmondson, Lester Robertson, John Ewing, Frank Strong (tb); Kenny Shroyer (btb); Buddy Collette (as, cl, fl); Harry Klee, Joe Maini (as); Teddy Edwards, Harold Land, Walter Benton (ts); Don Raffell (bar); Gene Edwards (g); Richard “Groove” Holmes (org); Jimmy Bond (b); Mel Lewis (d).
Recorded at Pacific Enterprises, Inc./ Rex Studios; Los Angeles, September 9 & 30, 1961
Tracklisting:
01. Blues for Yna, Yna (Wilson) 6:50
02. Jeri (Wilson) 3:41
03. Moody Blue (Wilson) 3:06
04. Straight Up and Down (Wilson) 4:42
05. The Wailer (Wilson) 7:19
06. You Better Believe It (Wilson-Holmes) 5:17
07. Yvette (Stoll) 3:34
08. Viva Tirado (Wilson) 5:42
09. Moment of Truth (Wilson) 4:20
10. Patterns (Wilson) 5:54
11. Teri (Wilson) 2:53
12. Nancy Jo (Wilson) 2:37
13. Milestones (Davis) 5:30
14. Latino (Wilson) 5:02
15. Josefina (Wilson) 4:25
16. Emerge (Robertson) 3:25
17. Cherokee (Noble) 3:53 (*)
(*) Bonus track
_______________________________
The Day John F. Kennedy Died
by Lou Reed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFPnGIN6NNw
__________________________________
Additional review of Gerard Wilson
Gerald
Wilson, who is still active as of this writing, has been a distinctive
arranger since his period with Jimmie Lunceford’s Orchestra (1939-42).
His charts have always managed to be dense (using complex chord
voicings) while swinging hard. After writing extensively for the
studios, in 1961 Wilson landed a significant recording contract with the
Pacific Jazz label. His big band recorded regularly for Pacific Jazz
throughout the 1960s and he is still writing music, performing and
recording more than a half-century later, and nearly 75 years after his
recording debut.
This single disc contains all of the music from Wilson’s first two albums for Pacific Jazz. Such classic performances as “You Better Believe It,” “Blues For Yna, Yna” (dedicated to the bandleader’s cat), a blazing rendition of “Milestones” and the original version of “Viva Tirado” (which became a hit for the Latin group El Chicano a decade later) are among the highpoints. The latter three selections are still played regularly by the Gerald Wilson Orchestra today.
http://www.jazzmessengersblog.com/gerald-wilson-you-better-believe-it-moment-of-truth-american-jazz-classics/
Bobby Hebb sunny - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsnnTiAElMsOct 30, 2010 - Uploaded by mumd2003On November 23, 1963, the day after John F. Kennedy's assassination, Harold Hebb was killed in a knife ...Bobby Hebb obituary | Music | The Guardian
Aug 5, 2010 - Bobby Hebb wrote Sunny as a reaction to the murder in 1963 of his brother, a day after President Kennedy's assassination Photograph: David ...The Bobby Hebb Website
www.bobbyhebb.com/Like any pearl of great price the song “Sunny”emerged from Hebb's search for a brighter day, out of the darkness of the JohnF. Kennedy assassination on ...Sunny – Bobby Hebb | SunnyNY
www.sunnyny.com/portfolio-item/442/Apr 25, 2013 - “Sunny” is a song written by Bobby Hebb (born Robert Von Hebb, July ... U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and Hebb's older ...
No comments:
Post a Comment