Monday, June 12, 2017

AccuRadio Song of The Day-The Little Big Horns

Artist:The Little Big Horns
Song:Get Back
Album:Ultra Lounge: On The Rocks Part One





The Little Big Horns were a studio instrumental group put together by Capitol Records. They recorded one album in 1969 and the individual members went back to being jazz musicians. It looks like producer Roger Karshner had the idea for this. At the time he was a house producer at Capitol. He had some success with Time Won't Let Me by The Outsiders. He was a jazz musician. He once had a group with Chuck Mangione called The National Gallery. Mangione was the arranger for The Outsiders and The Little Big Horns. Soon after Mangione returned to his home town of Rochester and we all know that turned out very well. The Little Big Horns recorded the 1969 album My Cherie Amour. It's an album of covers of current hits including The Beatles classic Get Back. At the time jazz rock was becoming popular with groups like Blood Sweat & Tears. And I guess record companies thought jazz rock could be contrived in the recording studio. They were wrong as groups like The Little Big Horns didn't last very long. The horn section was pretty good though. Bobby Keys was a sax player who would have been a session musician at the time. He would go on to tour with The Rolling Stones among others. Frank Vicari played sax in Maynard Ferguson's early 60s band and then he became a studio musician. Howard Johnson is best known as a tuba player but he also played sax and probably played the lead flute on Get Back. He's still active as a sideman. Trumpeter Steve Madaio was a member of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and later Stevie Wonder's band. After the one album, The Little Big Horns released one more single. And then they went back to their real careers. Get Back appears on one of those Capitol Records Ultra Lounge series CDs. This one is all covers of 60s hits. Here's a video of Get Back by The Little Big Horns.

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