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Topic: Don Menza


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In the News (Sat 2 Jun 12)

  
  CD Review of Don Menza Big Band - Menza Lines on Jazzed Media @ jazzreview.com
Menza motivates his musicians by not presenting what he calls "wall to wall big band." However, he does strike a balance between solos and the ensemble.
Don Rader is soulful, reflective and intense as his horn explores the melody.
Menza is as softly romantic as Ben Webster in his intriguing solo on "Nina Never Knew" as it moves from outside to melody and back again.
www.jazzreview.com /cd/review-17173.html   (501 words)

  
 Beaches International Jazz Festival
Menza is not only a master musician, but also a composer and arranger.
Since 1995, Don has been the leader of the Riviera Hotel's "Jazz on the Strip" in Las Vegas and is still touring the world's jazz venues.
Menza's versatility as a soloist, composer and arranger, combined with his original teaching methods, have made him a much sought-after artist.
www.beachesjazz.com /performers/menza.html   (145 words)

  
 Sen. T.F. on Alcohol 09/23/97 - complete   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-23)
MENZA: Sir, you mentioned that New Jersey is the only state to use the Breathalyzer 900.
MENZA: But, similarly, there is a strong body of law in other states that supports the admissibility of those Breathalyzers.
MENZA: It is, by the way, a very good question, because there is an applied assertion from the fact that one would purchase another machine.
www.njleg.state.nj.us /legislativepub/pubhear/092397t.htm   (16850 words)

  
 Don Menza
Don Ellis was in the band, Leo Wright, Lex Humphries, Cedar Walton, Lanny Morgan, Eddie Harris.
Don Ellis was into his experimental things then.
Don Randi called while I was out, and I'll get back to him when I get home.
www.jazzprofessional.com /interviews/don_menza.htm   (6673 words)

  
 Friends of Big Band Jazz
This is the first Don Menza Big Band recording since Don’s famous “Burnin’” album of the early 1980’s.
Don is joined by such jazz stars as Bobby Shew, Frank Szabo, Chuck Findley, Lanny Morgan, Jack Nimitz, Bill Reichenbach, Don Rader, Ron King, Bob McChesney, and Chris Conner.
The Menza band was further endowed with the exact same powerful 5-man trumpet section which played on his “Burnin’” record—(Chuck Findley, Ron King, Don Rader, Bobby Shew and Frank Szabo), likewise in the case of alumnus trombonist Bill Reichenbach and baritone saxophonist Jack Nimitz.
bigbandjazz.net /new-design/cd_menza.asp   (221 words)

  
 Don Menza with NJO2002
Beginning with "Gravy," Menza set the pace by whipping the NJO into a blues frenzy before entering with a blazing tenor solo.
The stage was set for an astounding Menza cadenza that was equivalent to a capsule history of the jazz tenor saxophone, with fleeting references to Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Boots Randolph and Woody Woodpecker.
As Menza concluded this tour-de-force performance, the audience simultaneously rose to its feet and burst into applause, certain they had heard something not to be forgotten.
www.bermanmusicfoundation.org /menznjo.htm   (429 words)

  
 Amazon.com: Menza Lines: Music: The Don Menza Big Band   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-23)
Don Menza is a very gifted composer, arranger and tenor saxophonist, who has recorded far less frequently than his talents deserve.
Because of this latter association Menza was invited to lead his big band at the "Stratospheric" tribute to Maynard held in Los Angeles in the fall of 2004.
Menza can still write hard-driving charts (and nobody can write a shout chorus like Don Menza), but he is an excellent ballad and medium tempo writer as well, with attractive, well-crafted melodic lines at every tempo.
www.amazon.com /exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000BC8TFK?v=glance   (973 words)

  
 The Thundering Page-A Big Band Celebration of the Great Arrangers-October 21-25, 1998
Don Menza, sitting in the sax section, helped immensely by taking on some of the directing chores.
The saxes were Dick Hafer and Don Menza on tenor, Kim Richmond and Phil Feather on alto and Bob Efford on baritone.
It began with Summertime, with Ron Stout on trumpet, Bob Hardaway and Don Menza on tenor and the Zoot Sims solo from the original recording orchestrated for the whole saxophone section.
www.thundering.com /page3b.htm   (4800 words)

  
 Bagatellen: Menza/ Bacon/ Jones - Jack Rabbitt   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-23)
Don Menza was only a name to me prior to auditioning this Cadence Jazz platter, a guy on the Buffalo, NY music scene who, like Ernie Krivda and Buck Hill in their respective locales, had opted for careers in close spiritual proximity to home.
Menza plants his flag confidently in the shaky alluvium and miraculously the pole stands fast, holding aloft his signature take and sustaining interest for an improvisationally rich 11+ minutes.
There are points where his interplay with Menza recalls the animated agreement shared by the elder Patton and his faithful horn colleague Fred Jackson on their Blue Note forays, but the vibe leans more heavily toward postbop than blues or funk.
www.bagatellen.com /archives/reviews/000997.html   (594 words)

  
 Don Menza Big Band: Menza Lines
Menza Lines is the second big-band album recorded in October ‘04 during Stratospheric, the Los Angeles Jazz Institute’s salute to the music and career of high-note trumpet maestro Maynard Ferguson.
Menza’s band also resembles a train, gathering speed as it rumbles persistently forward, engine at full throttle, hurrying to its destination but always staying precisely on track.
Menza Lines is only the second big-band album under his name, and the first in nearly a quarter-century (Menza’s Burnin’ was released in 1981).
www.allaboutjazz.com /php/article.php?id=18852   (663 words)

  
 Las Vegas SUN: Columnist Jerry Fink: Longtime jazz great Menza calls it quits
His has always been a class act, and his shows have been as diverse as the production revue "Splash" and "Jazz on the Strip," a Monday-night jazz showcase in the former Le Bistro Lounge at the Riviera.
Menza says his decision to walk away from something that has been a part of his life for so long was not easy.
Menza, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., has been a serious musician since the age of 12, studying saxophone in high school and at the State University of Fredonia.
www.lasvegassun.com /sunbin/stories/text/2004/jan/16/516188081.html   (1222 words)

  
 CD Baby: DON MENZA BIG BAND: Menza Lines
Don is joined by such jazz stars as Bobby Shew, Lanny Morgan, Jack Nimitz, Bill Reichenbach, Don Rader, Ron King, and Chris Conner.
The Menza band was further endowed with the exact same powerful 5-man trumpet section which played on his "Burnin'" record-(Chuck Findley, Ron King, Don Rader, Bobby Shew and Frank Szabo), likewise in the case of alumnus trombonist Bill Reichenbach and baritone saxophonist Jack Nimitz.
The plentiful,stylish and tatseful solos throughout this recording mark Menza Lines as a special album...A riveting musical experience tailor-made for lovers of the big band sound.
cdbaby.com /cd/menzabigband   (323 words)

  
 Don Menza - Jazz Bulletin Board
Don Menza's MPS album 'Morning Song', recently reissued on CD, is excellent.
Another *gorgeous* Menza recording that Marla turned me on to is "Bilein" with the Joe Haider trio.
Don is one of those guys that really deserves the "talent deserving wider recognition" label.
forums.allaboutjazz.com /showthread.php?t=8039   (1153 words)

  
 template   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-23)
The Don Menza Big Band has not appeared on album since the superb BURNIN' LP/CD.
Don Menza is among the best tenor sax men of all time.
Prepare yourself for an exhilerating 70 minutes, all the arrangements are by Don Menza featured are many of today's greatest section men and soloitsts, many who appeared on the legendary Burnin' CD.
www.btinternet.com /~j.r.killoch/menza.htm   (291 words)

  
 Canisius College - Jazz Ensemble Performs With Saxophonist Don Menza   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-23)
A native of Buffalo, Menza studied (tenor) saxophone at the State University of New York at Fredonia.
He is a self-taught composer-arranger, and in addition to the saxophone, he plays tenor, alto, clarinet and flute.
Menza’s music is a compendium of styles that draw from the influences of saxophone greats Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Gene Ammons, Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Lester Young and Charlie Parker.
www.canisius.edu /newsevents/augdec02/101102_jazz.asp   (377 words)

  
 Burnin': Reviews, Discography, Audio Clips, and more ||| Music.com
The only recording by Don Menza's big band of the early 1980s features many of the top Los Angeles-based, jazz-oriented session players of the era.
Menza contributed four of the six selections and all of the swinging arrangements; best are "Burnin' (Blues for Bird)," "Tonawanda Fats" and the memorable "Dizzyland." With such soloists as altoist Joe Romano, baritonist Jack Nimitz, pianist Frank Strazzeri, trombonist Bill Reichenbach, Menza's intense tenor, and trumpeters Chuck Findley, Ron King, … More »
This album features Menza at the peak of his powers.
www.music.com /release/burnin/8   (219 words)

  
 Amazon.com: Don Ellis at Fillmore: Music: Don Ellis   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-23)
Don integrates rock, funk, and electronic sounds seamlessly into the traditional big band setup.
Anyway, this album turned me on to a different way to approach music as a drummer, Ralph Humphrey (lead drummer on this album)turned me onto Zappa by seeking out his playing, the band teacher in the college I attended was a horn player that was into ellis.
A gorgeously unique souvenier of jazz at a crucial moment in its history (as post-bop and free jazz were challenged by the emergence of rock/pop oriented sounds) "Fillmore" runs hot and heavy: big band charts turned up to eleven (thanks Nigel!) overlaid with Ellis's signature quarter-tone trumpet work further modified with WAY pre-digital effects.
www.amazon.com /exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009RQRLU?v=glance   (1563 words)

  
 The Exclusive Nick Menza Interview
Nick Menza has been carving his niche' as a world class drummer since as early as age two, when he would accompany his dad, legendary jazz woodwind master Don Menza to gigs all over the world.
Not to say that some of the demos sent are not talented, but they are lacking in some way - could be the look or the sound.
Q: Your Father, Don Menza is a great classical arranger and composer as well as a famed woodwind player, so you got to spend a lot of time around legendary musicians.
www.geocities.com /drummerinterviews/nickmenza.html   (898 words)

  
 Jazz Artists Don Menza   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-23)
He is self taught as a composer-arranger, and plays tenor, alto,clarinet and flutes.
After leaving Rich he settled in L.A. and became very active playing in bands for three major TV networks and many recording companies, as well as jingles.
Don Menza is a hard driving soloist, strongly influenced by Sonny Rollins, his compositions are obviously inspired by Bill Holman, Oliver Nelson and Al Cohn.
www.jazzcanadiana.on.ca /_MENZA.htm   (163 words)

  
 Feature Articles May 2003
Menza and Christlieb, longtime friends and two of the most popular studio musicians of the past 40 years, joined their horns in immortal combat, raising the temperature level considerably for the 400 listeners at The Cornhusker hotel ballroom.
Menza and Christlieb hit the ground running with a brilliant, blazing Menza arrangement of Ray Noble’s venerable flag-waver “Cherokee.” After each of the tenor masters took a solo, they traded 4s, working variations on the familiar theme from every angle and from the lower registers to the upper range of their horns.
Menza and Christlieb rejoined the fray for Menza’s fast samba called “Sambiana.” The two tenors stated the melody, took separate solos, and then finished with traded passages as the band, driven by drummer Greg Ahl, gathered momentum for the finale.
www.bermanmusicfoundation.org /ftarts03.htm   (7957 words)

  
 eBay: Don McLean - Starry Starry Night 2001 VHS, Don McLean The Voice-The Music-The Concert 1994 VHS, and more
Don McLean - Starry, Starry Night (2001, V...
Don Menza - Live in New Orleans (1991, VHS...
Don Mock - The Blues From Rock to Jazz (19...
product-index.ebay.com /VHS_472.html   (293 words)

  
 The Don Menza Big Band | Menza Lines
The album, the second for the Menza Big Band after the well-regarded Burnin (1981), was recorded at the LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel in 2004.
A crowd pleaser and a favorite of mine, “Nina Never Knew” is a sweet and lovely slow ballad that is all Don Menza, with a magnificent and emotional tenor solo.
Another ballad with a Menza arrangement, the sensitive “Prelude To A Kiss,” is beautifully interpreted through the trumpet play of Bobby Shew and an interlude by Abene, once again.
www.allaboutjazz.com /php/article.php?id=19857   (520 words)

  
 SEMJA Update - October 1999
Saxophonist Don Menza's quintet featuring Joe Lano followed by a set of hard bopping jazz.
The third set brought on Don Menza's hard charging big band performing Menza's own compositions and arrangements.
Carl Fontana followed with his quartet displaying his virtuosity on slide trombone solidifying his rep as one of the greatest on the instrument.
www.semja.org /oct99/vegas.html   (296 words)

  
 Don Menza - 2005 Inductees - Buffalo Music Hall of Fame   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-23)
Don Menza - 2005 Inductees - Buffalo Music Hall of Fame
Don Menza, who has made far too records of his own, recorded as a leader for Saba (1965) in Germany, Discwasher (1979), Realtime, and Palo Alto (the latter two in 1981).
Don Recently recorded a project with another Buffalo Music Hall of Famer, Bobby Jones and local drummer John Bacon, Jr.
www.buffalomusic.org /alumni/2005/don_menza.htm   (217 words)

  
 Don Menza - Free Music Downloads, Videos, CDs, MP3s, Bio, Merchandise and Links   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-23)
Don Menza - Free Music Downloads, Videos, CDs, MP3s, Bio, Merchandise and Links
Don Menza is a powerful tenor saxophonist who, although able to effectively imitate most of the top stylists (from Coleman Hawkins to John Coltrane), has a distinctive sound of his own.
Menza started playing tenor when he was 13.
www.artistdirect.com /nad/music/artist/card/0,,467369,00.html   (152 words)

  
 News
Announcing the release of a new jazz recording on Cadence Jazz Records by Don Menza, John Bacon and Bobby Jones.
This is the first time that Don has recorded in an organ trio and you will hear that he really shines in this context.
I first crossed paths with Don Menza in the early 1980’s.
www.johnbaconjr.com /index/News.html   (1817 words)

  
 Jazz Artists Pete Magadini   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-23)
Since then, he has worked with Don Menza, Mose Allison, Don Ellis, Sonny Stitt, Barney Kessel, The Toronto Symphony and many others.
These include: The Pete Magadini Quintet "Night Dreamers" on Timeless Records (Holland), the award winning CD "Bones Blues" with Don Menza, Wray Downes and Dave Young and Don Menza-Pete Magadini "Live at Claudio's" both released on Sackville Records (Toronto).
Peter is also an educator and the author of several popular well known volumes including……"Musicians Guide to Polyrhythms" (voted number six on Modern Jazz Drummer Magazine's list of the 25 greatest books of all time) - Hal Leonard Publishing.
www.jazzcanadiana.on.ca /_MAGADINI.htm   (271 words)

  
 Jack Rabbitt : Menza/Bacon/Jones : CD Reviews : One Final Note
All that is obvious from Jack Rabbit, which brings together Buffaloites saxophonist Don Menza, organist Bobby Jones, and drummer John Bacon.
Menza’s an Upstate ex-pat who has lived in Europe and then California.
Menza rolls out long interconnected phrases that have the logic of an essay and the passion of a romance novel with occasional poetic turns.
www.onefinalnote.com /reviews/m/menza-don/jack-rabbitt.asp   (558 words)

  
 News & Events   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-23)
The concert is the first of the season for the Jazz Ensembles who will perform under the direction of Greg Ball.
Jazz Ensemble II will open with “Groove Blues” a Don Menza tune written for Louis Bellson’s band.
Trombonist Ronny Luedke of Robinson will play Don Menza’s Latin ballad “Love Song” and Mary Gant of Robinson will play a clarinet solo of Thad Jones’ arrangement of “All of Me”.
www.tarleton.edu /scripts/calendar/display.asp?id=1015&type=News   (342 words)

  
 Overstock.com, save up to 80% every day!
Don Menza: Mark Waggoner (guitar); Jack Nimitz, Lanny Morgan, Tom Peterson, Doug Webb, Russ D`Alba (reeds); Chuck Findley, Don Rader, Frank Szabo, Ron King, Bobby Shew (trumpet); Alex Iles, Bill Reichenbach, Bob McChesney, John Hasselback (trombone); Mike Abene (piano); Chris Conner (bass guitar); Mike Stephans (drums).
Prelude To A Kiss - (with Don Menza)
Shipping - This item will be delivered to you via USPS Trackable Media Mail or UPS Mail Innovations and will take from 2 days to 3 weeks from the time the item leaves our warehouse.
www.overstock.com /sm---pg-PRODUCT_pi-1642945_ti-82125.html   (191 words)

  
 VQPR - Nick Menza
Nick Menza was born July 23rd 1968 in Munich, Germany.
It was then Nick performed at his first public concert when during the intermission someone sat him down on Jack De Johnette's drums and he proceeded to play.
When Megadeth needed a drummer, Nick Menza was asked to join the band.
www.vqpr.com /nickmenza-body.htm   (185 words)

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