JAZZ SCENE U.S.A. #14
SHORTY ROGERS & HIS GIANTS
MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1962
CBS TELEVISION CITY, LOS ANGELES, CA
Commentary © James A. Harrod, Copyright Protected; All Rights Reserved
Shorty Rogers’ first album as leader was on the Capitol label, MODERN SOUNDS, SHORTY ROGERS & HIS GIANTS. The session was produced by Gene Norman and licensed to Capitol for release. Shorty’s compositions and arrangements on this album would come to typify the west coast sound. The “Giants” description of Shorty’s sidemen would apply to any number of musicians that Shorty would assemble for concerts and recording sessions depending on who was in town and available at the time. When Shorty was approached to record the fourteenth segment of Jazz Scene U.S.A. his “Giants” included Lou Levy on piano, Gary LeFebvre on tenor sax and flute, Gary Peacock on bass and Larry Bunker on drums. Later that fall Shorty & His Giants would appear on Frankly Jazz, a short lived TV series on Los Angeles television, and the “Giants” on that show included Joe Maini, Pete Jolly, Max Bennett and Mel Lewis.
Shorty’s latest album on the Reprise label, BOSSA NOVA (Reprise R-6050), was featured on the program when Oscar Brown, Jr. held the album cover before the camera. The Bossa Nova craze was sweeping America and every major record company had several Bossa Nova albums in their catalogue to tempt record buyers. In this case Reprise used the same bold title and model for the album cover that had been used on the Barney Kessel album featured in the previous Jazz Scene U.S.A. program #12.
The Shorty Rogers segment was paired with the Shelly Manne program and released by Shanachie on VHS, and later on DVD.
Shorty in later years with his Flugelhorn (© Ray Avery/CTSIMAGES)
Production credits: Host: Oscar Brown, Jr.
Executive Producer: Steve Allen
Producer: Jimmie Baker
Director: Steve Binder
Associate Producer: Penny Stewart
Associate Director: George Turpin
Technical Director: Jim Brady
Lighting Director: Leard Davis
Audio: Larry Eaton
Art Director: Robert Tyler Lee
Jazz Consultant: Leonard Feather
Title Films: Grant Velie
Cameras: Bob Dunn, Ed Chaney, Gorman Erickson, Pat Kenny
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