Season 5: "The Pete Christlieb Show"
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ธ.ค. 2024
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Pete Christlieb has been among my favorite saxophonists and all around musicians for the past forty to fifty years at least. His biography reads like a who's who in jazz and popular music and he has excelled at having an original identity as a jazz improviser as well as one of the top flight performers in ensemble contexts, whether big back, symphony or rock group.
Christlieb has been working as a musician since he left high school at age 16 and has so many great stories about his unique career.
It was an honor to get to sit down with him and talk about his life and music and I hope you get as much joy from this episode as we did recording it.
Pete Christlieb's Biography
Born into a home filled with classical music, there was little
question about Pete Christlieb’s career path. Pete’s father, Don Christlieb was a world renowned double reed player. His distinctive sound was heard on more than 750 productions over 50 years at 20th Century Fox.
Pete started working professionally just out of High School. He did gigs at the Lighthouse as a sub for his teacher Bob Cooper. His father took Pete to The Carriage house in Burbank, (Later renamed to Chadnies) to sit in with pianist Jimmy Rowles. Jimmy liked his playing and became a big influence on Pete’s conception. Jimmy trained Pete in his unique approach to jazz, inviting him to come by and sit in on Sundays.
Sarah Vaughan came in to perform several times. They became friends for many years. He met Carmen McRae and was able to play and record with her too.
Just out of high school Pete went on the road with the Sy Zentner band. Then, Sy Zentner lead to Della Reese, then Woody Herman, Louie Bellson and Pearl Bailey. He went on to play an album with Sonny Criss & then on the road with Chet Baker. (Chet still owes Pete $300 and gas money back to L.A.)
It was a seven year sprint. “It was like swinging from one vine to the next. one band would end and the next would begin.” Pete was ready for a change. He had been playing with Louie Bellson “He was like a father and a best friend,” Pete said of his association with Bellson. In those days serial TV shows would vacation in other towns during the summer, mostly to get out of New York. Carson would take the Tonight Show to Los Angeles.” Carson productions was looking for musicians to fill out the band stand in Los Angles and asked Louie for some players to come in. He recommended Christlieb for the two week gig and again the next year. When the tonight show moved to Los Angels Pete was asked to join the band on a permanent basis, that became 20 years with the tonight show.
With the tonight show taping at 6 pm Pete had time to work on other shows and other networks. First it was the Glen Campbell show on CBS. Then came the Bill Cosby Show and Sonny & Cher and many other verity shows of the day. He played on Star Trek for almost 2 decades. “Gene Rodenberry wanted a full orchestra and insisted on having no less than a 60 piece symphony play behind his episodes.”
Pete was a regular at Dante’s , The Baked Potato and Al Fonses playing with other jazz greats like his favorites, Frank Rossolino and Conte Condoli.
Pete started Bosco records, his great dane’s namesake, and recorded his first solo Album, Self Portrait in 1981. These were followed by Going My Way & Dino’s Live and several others. Pete is well known for his albums with other tenor sax greats Bob Cooper, Warne Marsh, Gene Ammons, Don Lamphere, Hadley Caliman, Ferdinand Polvel, Ernie Watts & Rickey Woodard. Pete produced records for other artists including Louie
Bellson, Don’t Stop Now which earned him one of three Grammy Nominations for best jazz soloist.
He recorded an album with Freddy Hubbard. and has featured solos on Records and CDs like Natalie Cole’s “ Unforgettable.” The TV show, Family Guy featuring the Ron Jones Orchestra was recently added to his long list of credits. Pete continues to record with well-known musicians and recording artists. He recently played on CDs with artists such as Sammy Nestico, Bill Holman Band, Michael Buble, Rachel MacFarlane and Seth MacFarlane.
Pete plays in his own quintet with wife Linda on trombone. Together they created the Tall and Small band, a ten piece band with their first CD out called “High On You.”
When asked if he didn’t become a musician what would he be doing with his life, he grins and says, “I’d probably be racing cars.”
Links to Pete’s beautiful works petechristlieb...
#NBC #johnnycarson #thetonightshow #television #tenor saxophone #saxophone #selmer #bassoon #hollywood #pablorecords #louisbellson #warnemarsh #buddyrich #docseverinson #jazz #rock #pop #steelydan #donaldfagen #tomscott #bobflorence #bigband #josephsargent #davidshire #takingofpelham123 #freddiehubbard #highenergy #georgecables #loulevy #supersax #medflory #donmenza #billholman #Donte's #bakedpotato #hermosabeach #nataliecole #natkingcole #lindasmall
@Peter F it's Mitch Hampton here. i really appreciated everyone coming out. As an aside, theres so much I can say, Peter F, about both the NORMA RAE song and the Johnny Mandel BEING THERE. I was so taken with Mandel's piano writing on BEING THERE that I took to transcribing some of it off the t.v. into a tape recorder back in the day. (decades ago) There's a lot of Eric Satie in that one. When it comes out let's keep each other posted when that happens.
@Peter F Johnny Mandel, like David Shire in THE CONVERSATION, did one of the best close to all piano scores on BEING THERE. There's also Bill Conti's HARRY AND TONTO. It's really great to here folks mentioning these things during this stream.
@@journeyofanaesthetepodcast
Hello Mitch. (PeterF here). You’re absolutely right. It’s in the style of Satie… And it’s gorgeous. I’ve been waiting for it to come out all my life. The Conversation also has a Satie-esque quality. It’s one of my favourite soundtracks. And it’s so very different from his other work. Manhattan Skyline vs. The Conversation… Unbelievable that this is the same composer. Yet underneath all that glamour Manhattan Skyline has a melancholy core as well… (which can also be said of The Bee Gees music.) Yes, Conti had some glorious moments. Though he became successful with his upbeat brass tunes, I think that he really shone in the sad scores like Harry and Tonto. His music for Cassavetes’ Gloria is incredible. You recently discussed “Don’t look Now”, but you didn’t mention the music. I love Donaggio’s piano themes... also for Dressed to Kill, Blow Out etc.
@@Papermac I'm a big fan of Donaggio. My Don't Look Now episode was mostly based on a now thirty year old essay I wrote which didn't deal with that film's score at all. I'm wondering if you were ever able to see David Shire's BABY, his musical?
@@dandiacal
Hello Mitch.
I live in Belgium and unfortunately very few Broadway plays and musicals make it to Europe.
If I ever have the budget and the opportunity to visit New York again, I’ll definitely try to combine it with a cultural experience. I didn’t even know that Shire created a musical. I wonder if the songs were in the style of Randy Newman (or Marvin Hamlisch). Because “It goes like it goes” is reminiscent of those fabulous writers. I also appreciate his noir soundtrack for Farewell my Lovely. It’s almost as good as John Barry’s enigmatic-hypnotic score for Body Heat. Perhaps at some point you could perform Mandell's Being There online.... :-) Kind regards, Peter. PS: I really loved your discussion of Roeg. I recently re-watched the Michael Silverblat - John Berger conversation. This time I was struck by what Berger said about "every moment existing at the same time"... Roeg shows this like no other, I think.
I don't have any plans to completely learn BEING THERE. All my solo piano projects are tied up mostly with my own writing - specifically the Hard Listening anniversary. Also re Roeg I've long been fascinated by the opening/credit sequence to MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH which also relates. I'll try and puts some links to Shire's musical in here. Thank you for some pretty meaningful comments in here!
Welcome everyone!