EXIT SLIDING

THE BUDDY BAKER JAZZ QUINTET.  Buddy Baker, trombone; Rich Chiaraluce, woodwinds; David Hanson, piano; Kenny Walker, bass; Paul Romaine, drums.  Additional personnel:  Francesco Mejias, Latin percussion; Mark Israel, Flügelhorn; Nat Wickham, Doug Scarborough, trombone.

BUDWIN RECORDS BRP 125 (contact Buddy at buddybaker@buddybakertrombone.com)

Buddy Baker:  Bonehead’s In The Beanbag Blues; Wuv-oo; It’s Yoom, That’s Whom; Sarah’s Slide; Happy Song #1; A Gentle Waltz for Nanc; A Samba for Brighter Times; Fatter Don’t Matter Blues; Sweet Pea; Waltz for Anne.  Ned Washington/Victor Young:  My Foolish Heart.  George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin:  Embraceable You.

The Buddy Baker Jazz Quintet—Exit Sliding

As a culminating project to a 55-year adventure as a trombonist, Buddy has recorded a CD that showcases both his jazz writing and playing and also features other Colorado musicians, including Rich Chiaraluce, Ken Walker, Paul Romaine, and Dave Hanson. It currently is available from Amazon.com or Tap Music Sales.

Click here to go to TapMusicSales.com for purchase

Click here to go to Amazon.com for purchase

Click here to view/download PDF liner notes

Comments about Exit Sliding CD

Sorry I’m so late in responding to your wonderful CD, where have you been all my life? Your quintet sounds great, happy and inspired. I’m very impressed with your playing and arranging. Wow!

--Dick T. Nash

It is a thrill to hear that wonderful tone and technique again. I must say you certainly picked up a lot of funky hot notes (good ones) in the last fifty-two years. Damned impressive.

Your compositions and charts are five-star. This is an aspect of your talent I really wasn’t aware of. I hope you keep writing. I found out it’s a lot easier on the teeth.

Over the years I’ve worked with most of the “Heavy Hitters” in the Los Angeles trombone scene and believe me, Buddy, you are right up there with the best (but I’m sure you know that). I’m just sorry you didn’t come out to “Tinsel Town.” I would have loved to have you playing lead on my stuff. Oh well...maybe in another life.

Thanks again for the CD. Hope to see you on your next visit.

--Perry Botkin

Many thanks for your fine CD...terrific stuff. I’m very glad that you did the CD; you sound wonderful and so does the group!

--Jiggs Whigham

from ITA Journal, Spring 1998, p. 58-59

Perhaps the record editor will allow me to reclaim my first pronoun long enough for this to double as a tribute. Buddy was as shy as a schoolgirl, approaching me in Nashville about reviewing his retirement gesture. He made disclaimers about remembering the multi-faceted nature of his career, "I'm no full-time jazzer, etc." So I thought "huh oh." even though I had already heard kudos through the grapevine.

Well, returning home, I put on the CD and started to smile and kept smiling till the CD was finished. Then I listened to it again. And again. In short, this is one of the best-produced recordings I have ever reviewed for the I.T.A. It was not done for vanity, or for profit, or to get a promotion in academia. It was done entirely as a labor of love--love of family (the CD is dedicated to his sister Anne), love of his fellow musicians, and love of the art form we all share and sometimes take for granted -- at a point in his career when he could finally take time to acknowledge the jazz ingredient of his personality. In my opinion, this album is the musical equivalent of Ted Williams hitting a home run in his final major league "at bat."

The compositions are mostly Buddy's. The arrangements are his, each one a polished gem, not just some rag-tag excuse for improvisation. And the trombone playing? My God, no over-the-hill "professor chops" here. This is state-of-the-art mainstream jazz trombone at its finest. The 18-page booklet is a masterpiece of production, with great layout, artwork and photos, plus enough wonderful commentary by Buddy and Tom Everett to render anything I say redundant.

Buddy was one of the first trombonists I knew who could do it all. Jazz, classical, symphonic, no problem. During a guest appearance on our campus decades ago, he played classical solos on trombone and euphonium with the symphonic band, then turned around and blew everyone away with the jazz ensemble. Anyone who acquires this CD will soon discover why. Many thanks, amigo. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all make such a graceful "exit sliding"?

--Gerry Sloan
University of Arkansas

Alive XVI: ”This One’s for Buddy!

This CD was produced by the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Studies Program. The band involved is the UNC Jazz Lab Band I directed by Gene Aitken.

This album was dedicated to Buddy honoring his retirement from UNC after 33 years of teaching there.

Buddy is featured on two selections: (1) Back Home Again in Indiana, and (2) The Nearness of You.

Taken from Alive XVI: ”This One’s for Buddy! liner notes:
Album Dedication
"His commitment to excellence, his outstanding musicianship and his impact on music educators and professional musicians throughout the world are just a few of the contributions Buddy has made during his tenure at UNC. He is an artist’s artist. We wish him the best!" -- Gene Aitken, October, 1998

Copies are available.

Phone: 970-351-2577
Fax: 970-351-2536
Email: jazzstudies@arts.unco.edu
Mail: Jazz Studies Program
School of Music
University of Northern Colorado
501 20th St, Campus Box 28.
Greeley, Colorado 80639

Click here to view/download PDF liner notes

Matteson-Phillips Tuba Jazz Consort, TubaJazz Superhorns - 1978 Australian Tour

The group was formed in 1976 and performed all over the world until Rich Matteson's death in 1993. A tribute concert was performed in 1994.

Buddy performed euphonium with this group from its second concert until the group's closing performance in 1994.

This first CD is a combination of two earlier recored LP's and has been remastered.

Copies are available

Click here to go to TagTuner.com for purchase

Mail: HPF - Tubajazz Recordings and Tapes, P.O. Box 933, Bloomington, IN 47402

Tunes are: Spoofy/Lucky Southern/Oleo/Little Ole Softy/Stompin' At The Savoy/Gregory Is Here/Summertime/Noreen's Nocturne/Georgia On My Mind/Things Ain't What They Used To Be
/Waltzing Matilda

Matteson-Phillips Tubajazz Consort --
Tubajazz Superhorns Live

This is the second CD produced by this group and features live performances with extended solos by most everyone in the band.

Copies are available

Click here to go to TapMusicSales.com for purchase

Mail: HPF - Tubajazz Recordings and Tapes, P.O. Box 933, Bloomington, IN 47402

Tunes are: In a Mellow Tone/ Senor Blues/ Bye Bye Blues/ C.T.'s Blues/ Shuckin and Jivin/ Oleo/ Your Mama Ain't Got No Draws. 72 min.