Description
Legendary Roger Kellaway with Jay Leonhart and Peter Erskine – on Volume 3 of Carl Saunders’ original music
Roger Kellaway, piano
Jay Leonhart, bass
Peter Erskine, drums
Incredible trio.
All compositions by Carl Saunders.
Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominated Pianist/Composer, Roger Kellaway, has recorded more than two hundred and fifty albums. He’s worked with everyone from Ellington to Elvis, Carmen McCrae to Barbra Streisand, and Quincy Jones to Yo-Yo Ma.
Kellaway has done it “all”…In the ’60s arranging and conducting Bobby Darin’s album of songs for “Dr. Doolittle” to his most prized television credit of writing “Remembering You”, the closing theme for the groundbreaking “All in the Family”, to 29 film scores including “A Star is Born” – to the 2000s as Tony Bennett’s musical director…Roger’s credits are too many to single out…an incredible history indeed!!
Here he ‘strolls’ through “new jazz standards” created by critically acclaimed journeyman, Carl Saunders, who’s writing skills are undeniable. This, the third in his series (the first played by Sam Most, the second by Scott Whitfield), is highly listenable and a wonderful addition to both his and Kellaway repertoire!….
Jazz listeners living in the Los Angeles area and musicians worldwide have long known that Carl Saunders is one of the great trumpet players (and writers) around today.
During the ’60s-’80s played with a countless number of show bands, including lead trumpet with Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet, and Frank Sinatra. Saunders also traveled as a lead player with Paul Anka and Robert Goulet and with such bandleaders as Si Zentner, Harry James, Maynard Ferguson, Benny Goodman and Charlie Barnet.
Asked to define jazz, Carl says, “It’s a combination of intellectual funk and hypnotic swinging”. His five recordings show that not only is he a prolific composer but he is one of the finest jazz trumpeters of the 21st century.
