Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. 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 throughout the decade worked in various small jazz combos. He spent the 1960s as a first-call studio musician in Hollywood. In the 1970s and 1980s, he performed regularly with the L. A. Four. Shank ultimately abandoned the flute to focus exclusively on playing jazz on the alto saxophone. He also recorded on tenor and baritone sax. His most famous recording is probably the version of "Harlem Nocturne" used as the theme song in Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. He is also well known for the alto flute solo on the song "California Dreamin'" recorded by The Mamas & the Papas in 1965.
Laurindo Almeida 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 Grammy Awards for both classical and jazz performances. His discography encompasses more than a hundred recordings over five decades.
Claude Berkeley Williamson was an American jazz pianist.
The L.A. Four was a jazz quartet, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1974, that performed until 1982.
Charles Walter "Chuck" Flores 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, California, and grew up in Santa Ana. He is best known for the work he did with saxophonist Bud Shank in the 1950s, and for his two-year stint with Woody Herman, from 1954 to 1955, but also performed and recorded with such musicians as Carmen McRae, Art Pepper, Maynard Ferguson, Al Cohn, and Shelly Manne, who had been his drum teacher. Manne and others considered Flores an underrated drummer.
Yervant Harry Babasin, Jr. was an American jazz bassist. His nickname was "The Bear".
The Haig was a jazz club located at 638 South Kenmore Avenue in Hollywood. Along with the Tiffany Club it was one of Los Angeles's premier jazz venues in the 1950s and strongly associated with West Coast jazz.
Collaboration is an album by American jazz group the Modern Jazz Quartet with Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida featuring performances recorded at Webster Hall in 1964 and released on the Atlantic label.
Roy S. Harte was an American jazz drummer and co-founder of Nocturne Records and Pacific Jazz Records. In partnership with Remo Belli, the founder and namesake of internationally famous drumhead manufacturer Remo, he founded "Drum City," a well-known retail drum shop on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California. Harte appeared in Leedy drums endorsement ads in the late 1950s to early 1960s.
Bud Shank Quartet Featuring Claude Williamson is an album by Bud Shank recorded in November 1956 for the Pacific Jazz label.
The Bud Shank Quartet is an album by Bud Shank recorded in January 1956 for the Pacific Jazz label.
Bud Shank – Shorty Rogers – Bill Perkins is a Quintet album led by Bud Shank featuring Shorty Rogers or Bill Perkins which was recorded in 1954 and 1955 for the Pacific Jazz label.
Strings & Trombones is an album by Bud Shank, featuring Bob Brookmeyer, which was recorded in 1954 and 1955 for the Pacific Jazz label. The album compiles Shank's earlier 10-inch LPs Bud Shank and Bob Brookmeyer and Bud Shank and Three Trombones.
Holiday in Brazil is an album by saxophonist Bud Shank with arrangements by Laurindo Almeida released on the Pacific Jazz label.
A Spoonful of Jazz is an album by saxophonist Bud Shank recorded in 1967 for the World Pacific label. The album features interpretations of tunes associated with The Lovin' Spoonful.
Latin Contrasts is an album by saxophonist Bud Shank with arrangements by Laurindo Almeida first released on the World Pacific label in 1959.
Skull Session is an album by American jazz composer/arranger Oliver Nelson featuring performances recorded in 1975 for the Flying Dutchman label.
Innovations in Modern Music is an album by pianist and bandleader Stan Kenton with his "Innovations" Orchestra featuring performances recorded in 1950 and originally released on the Capitol label.
The Kenton Touch is an album by bandleader and pianist Stan Kenton featuring a string section. As with his previous album Lush Interlude, the trumpet and sax sections were omitted and Bud Shank's flute and alto sax is the only woodwind used. It was recorded in 1958 and released on the Capitol label.
Bossa Nova is an album by American jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger Shorty Rogers, released on the Reprise label in 1962.
