The L.A. Four (or The L.A. 4) was a
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
quartet, formed in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, in 1974, that performed until 1982.
[ Yanow, Scott. "The L.A. 4" (Web site ''allmusic'')/ref>
Its members were guitarist ]Laurindo Almeida
Laurindo Almeida (September 2, 1917 – July 26, 1995) was a Brazilian guitarist and composer in classical, jazz, and Latin music. He and Bud Shank were pioneers in the creation of bossa nova. Almeida was the first guitarist to receive Gra ...
, saxophonist and flutist Bud Shank
Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thro ...
, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer 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, s ...
, replaced by Jeff Hamilton after 1977. They performed a mixture of straight-ahead jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
on the " cool" side, influenced by European Classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
, and bossa nova
Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...
and samba
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...
(Almeida was born in Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
). They recorded ten albums before disbanding. Chuck Flores
Charles Walter "Chuck" Flores (January 5, 1935 - November 24, 2016) was an American jazz drummer. One of the relatively small number of musicians associated with West Coast jazz who were actually from the West Coast, Flores was born in Orange, Cal ...
was the group's original drummer but did not record with them.
Discography
*1975: ''The L.A. Four Scores!'' (Concord Jazz
Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the j ...
), live recording July 27, 1974
*1976: ''The L.A. Four'' (''Concierto de Aranjuez'') (Concord Jazz)
*1976: ''Pavane pour une Infante Defunte'' (East Wind
An east wind is a wind that originates in the east and blows in a westward direction. This wind is referenced as symbolism in mythology, poetry and literature.
In mythology
In Greek mythology, Eurus, the east wind, was the only wind not associate ...
)
*1977: ''Going Home'' (East Wind)
*1978: ''Just Friends'' (Concord Jazz)
*1978: ''Watch What Happens'' (Concord Jazz)
*1979: ''Live at Montreux'' (Concord Jazz)
*1980: ''Zaca'' (Concord Jazz)
*1981: ''Montage'' (Concord Jazz)
*1982: ''Executive Suite'' (Concord Jazz)
References
American jazz ensembles from California
Musical quartets
{{US-jazz-band-stub