West Side Story Bossa Nova

West Side Story Bossa Nova
Studio album by Bill Barron Orchestra
Released	1963
Recorded	March 24, 27 & 28, 1963
Studio	Gotham Studios, Newark, NYC
Genre	Jazz
Label	Dauntless DM 4312/DS 6312
Producer	Tom Wilson
Bill Barron chronology
Bossa Nova: The New Sound in Jazz from South America (1962) West Side Story Bossa Nova (1963) A Swedish-American Venture (1966)

West Side Story Bossa Nova is an album by saxophonist Bill Barron featuring bossa nova versions of tunes from the Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim musical West Side Story which was recorded in 1963 and first released on the Dauntlesss label. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[5]

In his review on Allmusic, Ken Dryden states "The tenor saxophonist's orchestra is actually only a septet, but it's a potent group who puts out a big sound ... Barron's arrangements are brief (all under four minutes each), but very enjoyable, with snappy takes of "Cool" and "America" as well as a brief "Maria," featuring Thomas and Barron swapping solos, and wrapping with an unusually upbeat treatment of the normally low-key ballad "Somewhere." " ^[4]

Track listing

All compositions by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim

1. "Something's Coming" – 3:15
2. "One Hand, One Heart" – 3:29
3. "Gee, Officer Krupke" – 3:57
4. "Cool" – 3:55
5. "Maria" – 2:19
6. "Tonight" – 3:21
7. "America" – 3:32
8. "I Feel Pretty" – 3:42
9. "Jet Song" – 3:16
10. "Somewhere" – 3:53

Note

• Recorded at Gotham Studios in New York City on March 24, 1963 (tracks 1, 5 & 9), March 27, 1963 (tracks 4, 8 & 10) and March 28, 1963 (tracks 2, 3, 6 & 7)

Personnel

• Bill Barron – tenor saxophone (all tracks)
• Willie Thomas – trumpet (all tracks)
• Kenny Barron – piano (tracks 1, 5, 9)
• Steve Kuhn – piano (tracks 2–4, 6–8, 10)
• Kenny Burrell – guitar (tracks 1–3, 5–7, 9)
• Skeeter Best – guitar (tracks 4, 8, 10)
• Henry Grimes – bass (all tracks)
• Charlie Persip – drums (all tracks)
• José Soares – percussion (all tracks)

References

1. Audio Fidelity Discography accessed February 6, 2017
2. Bill Barron Catalog accessed February 6, 2017
3. Bill Barron discography accessed February 6, 2017
4. Dryden, Ken. Bill Barron – West Side Story Bossa Nova: Review at AllMusic . Retrieved February 6, 2017.
5. Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 86. ISBN   978-0-14-103401-0.