John Lewis - Orchestra U.S.A: The Debut Recording (1963)

John Lewis - Orchestra U.S.A: The Debut Recording (1963)
The complete stereo & mono versions

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 510MB

Lonehill Jazz | 2004

Allmusic:
John Lewis formed Orchestra U.S.A. as a vehicle to potentially explore any composed or improvised music, blending elements of jazz and classical music by recruiting some first-rate players from both worlds. The result is one of the more successful third stream recordings. There are two string quartets, plus woodwinds, brass, and a rhythm section present. Collaborating with Gunther Schuller, who conducted the group and did some of the orchestrations, Lewis expanded his work "Three Little Feelings" from its original chart for brass, featuring outstanding solos by alto saxophonist Phil Woods and guitarist Jim Hall. Lewis includes two pieces he had written for William Inge's play Natural Affection; Dolphy's fireworks on "Donnie's Theme" contrast with the easygoing "Natural Affection," which features the leader's piano and has a sudden dramatic finale. Gary McFarland contributed both "Milesign" and "Grand Encounter"; the former composition is a driving bop chart with a typically angular alto sax solo by Dolphy, while the latter piece is quirky and has a playful solo by Lewis. Schuller's rather stiff arrangement of "The Star Spangled Banner" serves as a odd but brief coda to close the record. Although there were additional records by Orchestra U.S.A., none of them match the heights of this initial effort. [Originally issued as a Colpix LP and long unavailable, this highly recommended album finally appeared as a Lone Hill Jazz CD in 2004, adding the mono takes for each selection as bonus tracks.]

Tracks
-01. "Three Little Feelings, Pt. 1" -(3:37)
-02. "Three Little Feelings, Pt. 2" -(3:32)
-03, "Three Little Feelings, Pt. 3" -(3:47)
-04. "Milesign Gary McFarland" - (5:14)
-05. "Milano" -(3:34)
-06. "Natural Affection" -(5:33)
-07. "Donnie's Theme" -(5:16)
-08. "Grand Encounter" -(5:36)
-09. "The Star Spangled Banner" -(1:27)
-10. "Three Little Feelings, Pt. 1" [Mono Version][*] -(3:39)
-11. "Three Little Feelings, Pt. 2" [Mono Version][*] -(3:33)
-12. "Three Little Feelings, Pt. 3" [Mono Version][*] -(3:48)
-13. "Milesign" [Mono Version][*] -(5:17)
-14. "Milano" [Mono Version][*] -(3:38)
-15. "Natural Affection" [Mono Version][*] -(5:35)
-16. "Donnie's Theme" [Mono Version][*] -(5:17)
-17. "Grand Encounter" [Mono Version][*] -(5:37)
-18. "The Star Spangled Banner" [Mono Version][*] - (1:23)

Featuring
Eric Dolphy
Phil Woods
Richard Davis
Connie Kay
Jim Hall

sample & buy: Orchestra U.S.A.