''Thesaurus'' is an album by American composer/arranger/pianist

Clare Fischer Douglas Clare Fischer (October 22, 1928 – January 26, 2012) was an American keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. After graduating from Michigan State University (from which, five decades later, he would receive an honorary doctorate ...

, recorded and released in 1969 by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. Reissued in 1979 as '' 'Twas Only Yesterday'' by Discovery Records, and on CD, again by Discovery, in 1988 as part of a CD entitled ''Waltz'', encompassing both ''Thesaurus'' and the 1980 LP, ''Duality''. In 2000, ''Thesaurus'' received a dedicated CD reissue under its original title from Koch Records."Thesaurus"
WorldCat. Retrieved 2013-02-22

Reception

Ken Dryden Kenneth Wayne Dryden (born August 8, 1947) is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former National Hockey League (NHL) goaltender. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was a Liber ...

reviewed ''Thesaurus'' 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: "Fischer's potent originals and first-rate arrangements bring out the best in his musicians...A well-conceived chart of

Billy Strayhorn William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take ...

's 'Upper Manhattan Medical Group' swings mightily. The leader even makes a rare appearance on alto sax in the brief 'In Memoriam,' dedicated to the assassinated Kennedy brothers." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' review by Martin Williams was written shortly after the album's original release:

West Coast pianist Clare Fischer has done what I wish
Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
would do: he has written his own big band arrangements; the results are admirable. Fischer can make his ensembles whisper, sing, shout, praise, explain, cajole, proclaim. He is not afraid to be simple when simplicity will work; he can write for a mere quintet within the ensemble when he wants to. The solos by tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, particularly, and baritone saxophonist Bill Perkins are the best I've heard from these men, but, the leader excepted, some of the other improvisers confine themselves to other people's ideas.

Track listing

All selections composed by Clare Fischer except where noted.
All selections arranged by Clare Fischer with the exception of "Calamus," which is arranged by the composer.
Side One # "The Duke" – 4:53 # "Miles Behind" – 5:03 # "Calamus" ( Stewart Fischer) – 4:44 # "Lennie's Pennies" ( Lennie Tristano) – 5:22 Side Two # "Twas Only Yesterday" – 6:29 # "Bitter Leaf" (Stewart Fischer) – 6;58 # "Upper Manhattan Medical Group" (

) – 4:11 # "In Memoriam (John F. & Robert F. Kennedy)" – 1:55 (alto sax solo – Clare Fischer)

Personnel

– piano, Fender-Rhodes electronic piano * Gary Foster – lead alto sax * Kim Richmond – alto sax *Louis Ciotti &

Warne Marsh Warne Marion Marsh (October 26, 1927 – December 18, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Los Angeles, his playing first came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of pianist Lennie Tristano and earned attention in the 1970s as ...

– tenor saxes * Bill Perkins – baritone sax *John Lowe – bass sax *Larry McGuire,

Buddy Childers Marion "Buddy" Childers (February 12, 1926 – May 24, 2007) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and ensemble leader. Childers became famous in 1942 at the age of 16, when Stan Kenton hired him to be the lead trumpet in his band. Biography ...

, Conte Candoli, Steve Huffsteter & Stewart Fischer – trumpets *Gil Falco, Charley Loper & David Sanchez – trombones *Morris Repass – bass trombone * Chuck Domanico – bass * Larry Bunker – drums On "Calamus," "Bitter Leaf" & "Upper Manhattan Medical Group," Buddy Childers is replaced by John Audino.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thesaurus 1969 albums Albums arranged by Clare Fischer Atlantic Records albums Big band albums Clare Fischer albums