Exceptional Musicians Name Their Top 10 Songs, Chapter 6 Gordon Camp

Gordon Camp Shares His Top 10 Favorite Songs

I am sure that many of my readers have heard Gordon Camp play. He sits in with many of the bands playing here in the Valley.  Gordon loves to play the Trumpet, and he is really good at it.  Gordon studied Trumpet with Jazz greats Doc Severinsen and Donald Byrd.  He has also toured with Aretha Franklin, Sammy Davis Jr., Barry White and Natalie Cole, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis and Lou Rawls.  Gordon is a great addition to all the other world-class musicians who spend their winters in the California Desert.

                                                  Gordon Camp's Top 10 Songs....In No Particular Order:

1.  "Up Jumped Spring"

2.  " Lush Life"

3.  "There is No Greater Love"

4.  "Stardust"

5.  "Stella By Starlight"

6.  "The Scene Is Clean"

7.  "Hi-Fly"

8.  "Moon River"

9.  "Skylark"

10 "Bye Bye Blackbrid"

The Dave Lalama Big Band: CD Review

Dr. Dave Lalama is currently Professor of Music at Hofstra University and is a founding faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Program. He received his doctorate in music composition from New York University and is an active clinician and performer throughout the US. He has performed and recorded with Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Mel Lewis, amoung numerous other Jazz artists.

The Hofstra Project was developed by Dr. Lalama as a tribute to the hundreds of students, faculty colleagues and guest artists he has been associated over the years at Hofstra University.

According to Dr. Lalama, "The music present here has been chosen to embody the past 28 years of Jazz Art Music-making that attempts to strike a healthy balance between ensemble discipline and improvisational freedom". The result in my opinion is that Mr. Lalama has achieved his objective perfectly.  The charts are great, the arrangements are new and fresh and the musicians are precise and, yet, free to express themselves within this musical environment.

In my opinion, "The Hofstra Project" played by The Dave Lalama Big Band is the best big band CD I have heard in years!  This CD was released on February 26, 2013 and I know that my "Big Band" followers will flip when they hear this great band! If you only buy one big band CD this year, this CD should be the one you buy!