Louise Baranger Plays The Great American Groove Book – Louise Baranger

The Great American GROOVE Book/familiar all time favorites performed by brilliant trumpet player and big band!

Produced and arranged by Tim Ouimette, an amazing composer and arranger who has worked with the likes of Ray Charles and Ben E. King….

Since her start in the Harry James Band in 1982, Louise has been performing with some of the greatest entertainers in the world…she is a seasoned jazz veteran with great chops and she brings in a great band, including

Lew Soloff: Saxophone
Don Braden: Flute, Alto Flute, Tenor Sax
Marvin Stamm: Trumpet
Bill Harris: Tenor Sax
David Spinozza: Guitar
Gil Parris: Guitar
Mark Martin: Beat Boxer

for a REV’D UP VERSION of Great Familiar American GROOVES!!….!

…from the ‘Groovy Baby’ sound to the hip sounds of the opening number, Marvin Gaye’s (and Art Stewert’s) “Got to Give it Up” to Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground”…to the funky “cow bell”, er’ percussion bell inclusion in the earlier-day pop hit, “Soulful Grazing”….this thing is packed with great playing and surprises …. all tied together with the brilliance of trumpet from Louise Baranger…!
Alto Sax: Rick Kriska
Tenor Sax: Steve Moran
Bari Sax: Gary Blu
Trumpets:  Tony Kadleck, Lew Soloff
Trombone: Kurt Eckhardt, Dale Kirkland
Horn: Shelagh Abate
Tuba: Andy Rogers
Keyboards: Jon Cobert
Guitar: John Putnam
Bass: Lincoln Schleifer
Drums: Denny McDermott
Percussion: Joe Bonadio

Background vocals:
Kati Mac and Louise Baranger

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Born in Hollywood, CA, Louise Baranger studied trumpet with Harold “Pappy” Mitchell and Uan Rasey, the former first trumpets at the MGM Studios, as well as jazz trumpeter Bobby Shew and legendary William Vacchiano of the New York Philharmonic.  In 1982 Harry James asked her to join his band where she remained until Harry’s death in 1983. She spent the next few years playing lead trumpet in the Las Vegas production of Sugar as well as freelancing in Los Angeles and working with such big bands as Nelson Riddle, Jack Wilson and Ray Anthony.

In live performance, Louise has toured the world and backed an incredible array of world-class talents…  Her Broadway credits are numerous and as a soloist she has been featured with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, the Jazz Ensamble de Santa Fe (Argentina), Leipzig and Mannheim Big Bands (Germany), the Athens Symphony, and Macon Symphony, among many others.  As a leader, her nine piece “little big band” has played at such events as the Emmy Awards, the Millennium New Year’s Eve Celebration at Boston’s Symphony Hall, and numerous jazz concerts, including many private events and fund raisers.  Her television and film credits are also numerous.

REVIEW:

Louise Baranger taps into an underappreciated resource on this collection of soul classics from the Baby Boomer period. She brings together a barn burner of teammates which include Rick Kriska/as, don Braden/fl-ts, Steve Moran/ts, Bary Blu/bs, Lew Soloff/tp and a toe tapping rhythms secion of Jon Cobert/key, John Putnam/g, Lincoln Schleifer/b, Denny McDermott/dr and Joe Bonadio/perc.

The guitar gets wacka wooka wild on with Latin  percussion on Marvin Gaye’s  “Got to Give it Up” while Baranger sizzles on the Memphis Stewed “Camaro Willy.” She shows how to boogaloo on the fun loving “Love Potion No. 9” and goes Afro Funky on Al Green’s “Take Me To the River.” Motown moods get hip on “Higher Ground” and “Inner City Blooes” with some hot sax work on “Soul Bossa Nova.” Get out the lava lamps for this one! WHEW!

-JAZZ WEEKLY