''Out of the Woods'' is a 1965 album by

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing, (13 August 1919 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 ...

accompanied by his quintet featuring compositions written and arranged by

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be he ...

. Shearing had suggested to Burton that he write a composition in

counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

, which became "J.S. Bop", Shearing was so pleased with the piece that he write several more for a new recording. This was the first time that

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

had allowed Shearing to record original compositions instead of

jazz standards Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list ...

. Burton described the album in his autobiography, ''Learning to Listen'', as his "most ambitious effort at composing and arranging". He assumed that writing for the alto flute would be similar to the alto saxophone, but finding that it wasn't Paul Horn switched from the alto flute to the alto saxophone and "played softly enough to blend in with the other woodwinds".

Reception

The initial '' Billboard'' review from February 27, 1965 said that "George Shearing gets the billing here but it really is Gary Burton's album... urtoncomposed and arranged this package and in both departments he's an ace". The album was one of ''Billboards'' 'Spotlight Picks' for the week. Scott Yanow reviewed the album for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

and wrote that "Quite a few of the pieces are influenced by classical music, Burton performs on the lyre on "Lyric Ballad"; Shearing doubles a bit on harpsichord...None of the pieces would catch on, and there is a lightweight feel to much of the music, but there are some interesting moments too. Definitely a unique entry in the discography of Gary Burton. "

Track listing

# "J.S. Bop" – 2:27 # "Lovely Lyca" – 2:52 # "Six-Nix-Quix-Flix" – 2:42 # "Chorale" – 2:45 # "Doblado Samba" – 2:38 # "The Great Fugue" – 2:43 # "Singing Song" – 2:02 # "Opus For Mozart" – 3:03 # "Drum Fugue" – 2:09 # "Lyric Ballad" – 3:38 # "Improvisation On Fugue X" – 3:40 # "Dialogue For Two Pianos" – 2:22

Personnel

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

, harpsichord *

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

, piano, lyre, arranger *

Abe Most Abe Most (February 27, 1920 – October 10, 2002) was a swing clarinetist and alto saxophonist who is known for his performances and recordings of the works of Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman. He began his career in 1939 as a member of Les Brown (ban ...

, Jules Jacobs, Justin Gordon, Paul Horn -

woodwind Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and re ...

*John Gray -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Gene Cherico, Ralph Peña -

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

Shelly Manne Sheldon "Shelly" Manne (June 11, 1920 – September 26, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, sw ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Dave Cavanaugh David Cavanaugh, also known as Dave Cavanaugh or occasionally Big Dave Cavanaugh, (March 13, 1919 – December 31, 1981) was an American composer, arranger, musician and producer.

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

Recorded in Los Angeles, May 1964.'Best of George Shearing, Vol. Two, 1960-1969' (Capitol, 1997) liner notes

References

{{Authority control 1965 albums Albums produced by Dave Cavanaugh Capitol Records albums George Shearing albums Albums recorded at Capitol Studios