Publication date:
29 October 1998Length of book:
208 pagesPublisher
Scarecrow PressISBN-13: 9780810833968
Serge Chaloff (1923-1957) is most widely remembered as the flamboyant baritone saxophone star with Woody Herman's 2nd Herd whose problems with drugs extended to erratic personal behavior. Nevertheless, there were many brilliant sessions featuring his work before and after his stint with Herman. This work attempts to bring them the recognition they deserve.
Simosko details the life and music of Serge Chaloff in an engaging style, from his childhood in Boston, Massachusetts, through his untimely death in 1957. He also provides a discography of Chaloff's recorded output, much of which has been made available by the 1993 Mosaic Records release of The Complete Serge Chaloff Sessions.
Simosko details the life and music of Serge Chaloff in an engaging style, from his childhood in Boston, Massachusetts, through his untimely death in 1957. He also provides a discography of Chaloff's recorded output, much of which has been made available by the 1993 Mosaic Records release of The Complete Serge Chaloff Sessions.
Musically, it is hard to consider a young saxophonist 'serious' if they haven't heard the Chaloff recordings, especially if he or she is a baritone sax player. The live performances documented throughout this book provide further insights about how much in demand Chaloff was, particularly after he left Herman in 1949. But since almost half of this book is a very detailed and thorough discography, it really affirms just how prolific Chaloff was. For these reasons, the book is important for many readers.