Ray Gelato Giants

Ray Gelato - Lead Vocals and Tenor Sax
Richard Busiakiewicz - Piano
Dave Keech - Trombone
Clark Kent - Double Bass
Alan Nicholls - Tenor and Alto Sax
John Piper - Drums
Dave Priseman - Trumpet

With special guest Claire Martin on vocals.

'The Full Flavour' by Benny Green

Although Ray Gelato represents the generation after mine - I met him through my sons - he seems now to be part of that timeless brotherhood of musicians who enjoy playing together. At a time when most players of his age pursue harmonic subtlety more labyrinthine than a castaway’s beard, Ray always goes for the great standard songs, adores the late Louis Prima, and plays the tenor saxophone in the manner of someone whose youth was spent studying forgotten deities like Illinois Jaquet and Charlie Ventura. So although he is half my age, we understand each other perfectly and always enjoy the occasional duets we have played. Sometimes I sit in at one of his gigs, and sometimes he sits in on one of mine. It doesn’t matter which way round it is, we always have a good time.

His band is often called a Jump band because the music jumps, harking back to the days when musicians were not ashamed to be entertainers as well as artists, and its repertoire takes me back to my apprentice days nearly fifty years ago. Walk into any club where Ray is working and you will find the atmosphere electrified by skill and energy. You will also find laughter, because when Ray sings he is deep in a dream of Prima, and makes everyone on the premises feel like joining in, which they often do. As leader, instrumentalist and vocalist he is already a triple threat, and before long will add a touch of the old terpsichore to his assets. When he moves about on the stand he is almost dancing, and with a few lessons will soon formalise his movements into swinging dancing which will endear him to everybody even more. I can.’

Recording information:

Recorded at Metropolis Studios, London on 13, 14 January 1995
Produced and Engineered by Calum Malcolm