''Bug Music'' is an album by

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

ist

Don Byron Donald Byron (born November 8, 1958) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. He primarily plays clarinet but has also played bass clarinet and saxophone in a variety of genres that includes free jazz and klezmer. Biography His moth ...

featuring music from the 1930s, specifically

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

Billy Strayhorn William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take the ...

, John Kirby, and

Raymond Scott Raymond Scott (born Harry Warnow; September 10, 1908 – February 8, 1994) was an American composer, band leader, pianist and record producer. Known best in his time as a composer of production music, Scott is today regarded as an early ...

. It was released on the Nonesuch label in 1996.Don Byron's Bug Music on Nonesuch Records
accessed June 19, 2020

Reception

The

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

review by Scott Yanow stated "Other than a silly rendition of Ellington's 'Blue Bubbles' and an adventurous interpretation of 'Snibor,' the selections are played with respect and great understanding of the somewhat forgotten style. None of the modern musicians sound as if swing were only their second language, making the continually surprising set a major success." The album peaked at #4 on the ''Billboard'' jazz charts in February 1997.

Track listing

All music transcribed and arranged by

. # "The Dicty Glide" (Duke Ellington) – 3:15 # "Frasquita Serenade" (F. Lehar, H. Reichert, A.M. Willner) – 2:50 # "

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

" (William C. Handy) - 2:52 # "Wondering Where" (Charles Shavers) - 2:50 # "Bounce of the Sugar Plum Fairies" (Tchaikovsky, Louis C. Singer) - 1:39 # "Charley's Prelude" (Louis C. Singer) - 2:47 # "

Royal Garden Blues "Royal Garden Blues" is a blues song composed by Clarence Williams and Spencer Williams in 1919. Popularized in jazz by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band,

" (Clarence Williams, Spencer Williams) - 1:50 # "Siberian Sleighride" (Raymond Scott) - 2:50 # "The Penguin" (Raymond Scott) - 2:47 # "The Quintet Plays Carmen" (Raymond Scott) - 2:51 # " Powerhouse" (Raymond Scott) - 2:54 # "Tobacco Auctioneer" (Raymond Scott) - 2:35 # "War Dance for Wooden Indians" (Raymond Scott) - 2:32 # "Cotton Club Stomp" (Duke Ellington, Harry Carney, Johnny Hodges) - 2:45 # "Blue Bubbles" (Duke Ellington) - 3:24 # "SNIBOR" (Billy Strayhorn) - 9:48

Personnel

–

, baritone saxophone, conductor * Steve Wilson - alto saxophone *Robert DeBellis - tenor saxophone *Charles Lewis - trumpet * Steven Bernstein - trumpet *James Zollar - trumpet *

Craig Harris Craig S. Harris (born September 10, 1953) is an American jazz trombonist, who started working with Sun Ra in 1976. He also has worked with Abdullah Ibrahim, David Murray (saxophonist), David Murray, Lester Bowie, Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers (jazz ...

- trombone *

Uri Caine Uri Caine (born June 8, 1956) is an American classical music, classical and jazz pianist and composer from Philadelphia. Biography Early years Caine was born on June 8, 1956, in Philadelphia, to Burton Caine (1928–2023), a professor at Temple ...

- piano, vocals *Paul Meyers - banjo *

David Gilmore David Gilmore (born 5 February 1964) is an American jazz guitarist. Gilmore studied at New York University with Joe Lovano and Jim McNeely. In 1987, he began working professionally with the M-Base Collective and Ronald Shannon Jackson. In the ...

- guitar *Kenny Davis - bass * Pheeroan akLaff - drums *

Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drumming, jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well as with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest (b ...

- drums *

Joey Baron Bernard Joseph Baron (born June 26, 1955 in Richmond, Virginia) is an American drummer best-known for working in avant-garde jazz with Bill Frisell and John Zorn. Music career Baron, who is of Jewish heritage, was born on June 26, 1955, in Ric ...

- drums *Dean Bowman - vocals

References

{{Authority control Don Byron albums 1996 albums Nonesuch Records albums Jazz albums by American artists