''Thesaurus'' is an album by American composer/arranger/pianist

Clare Fischer Douglas Clare Fischer (October 22, 1928 – January 26, 2012) was an American keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. After graduating from Michigan State University (from which, five decades later, he would receive an honorary doctorat ...

, recorded and released in 1969 by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. Reissued in 1979 as '' 'Twas Only Yesterday'' by

Discovery Records Discovery Records was a United States–based record company and label known for its recordings of jazz music. Discovery was founded in 1948 by jazz fan and promoter Albert Marx; it was headquartered in Hollywood, California. The record label wou ...

, and on CD, again by Discovery, in 1988 as part of a CD entitled ''Waltz'', encompassing both ''Thesaurus'' and the 1980 LP, ''Duality''. In 2000, ''Thesaurus'' received a dedicated CD reissue under its original title from

Koch Records MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), formerly known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, is an American independent record label and music management company based in New York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music div ...

."Thesaurus"
WorldCat. Retrieved 2013-02-22

Reception

Ken Dryden Kenneth Wayne Dryden (born August 8, 1947) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender, politician, lawyer, businessman, and author. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was ...

reviewed ''Thesaurus'' for

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 ...

and wrote: "Fischer's potent originals and first-rate arrangements bring out the best in his musicians...A well-conceived chart of

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 ...

's 'Upper Manhattan Medical Group' swings mightily. The leader even makes a rare appearance on alto sax in the brief 'In Memoriam,' dedicated to the assassinated Kennedy brothers." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' review by Martin Williams was written shortly after the album's original release:

West Coast pianist Clare Fischer has done what I wish
Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
would do: he has written his own big band arrangements; the results are admirable. Fischer can make his ensembles whisper, sing, shout, praise, explain, cajole, proclaim. He is not afraid to be simple when simplicity will work; he can write for a mere quintet within the ensemble when he wants to. The solos by tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, particularly, and baritone saxophonist Bill Perkins are the best I've heard from these men, but, the leader excepted, some of the other improvisers confine themselves to other people's ideas.

Track listing

All selections composed by Clare Fischer except where noted.
All selections arranged by Clare Fischer with the exception of "Calamus," which is arranged by the composer.
Side One # "The Duke" – 4:53 # "Miles Behind" – 5:03 # "Calamus" ( Stewart Fischer) – 4:44 # "Lennie's Pennies" (

Lennie Tristano Leonard Joseph Tristano (March 19, 1919 – November 18, 1978) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher of jazz improvisation. Tristano studied for bachelor's and master's degrees in music in Chicago before moving to New Yo ...

) – 5:22 Side Two # "Twas Only Yesterday" – 6:29 # "Bitter Leaf" (Stewart Fischer) – 6;58 # "Upper Manhattan Medical Group" (

) – 4:11 # "In Memoriam (John F. & Robert F. Kennedy)" – 1:55 (alto sax solo – Clare Fischer)

Personnel

– piano, Fender-Rhodes electronic piano * Gary Foster – lead alto sax *

Kim Richmond Kim Richmond (July 24, 1940 – September 20, 2024) was an American jazz saxophonist and arranger. Life and career Richmond was born in Champaign, Illinois, on July 24, 1940. He played piano, clarinet, and saxophone when young, and made his profes ...

– alto sax *Louis Ciotti &

Warne Marsh Warne Marion Marsh (October 26, 1927 – December 18, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Los Angeles, his playing first came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of pianist Lennie Tristano and earned attention in the 1970s as ...

– tenor saxes * Bill Perkins – baritone sax *John Lowe – bass sax *Larry McGuire,

Buddy Childers Marion "Buddy" Childers (February 12, 1926 – May 24, 2007) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and ensemble leader. Childers became famous in 1942 at the age of 16, when Stan Kenton hired him to be the lead trumpet in his band. Biograph ...

Conte Candoli Secondo "Conte" Candoli (July 12, 1927 – December 14, 2001) was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orc ...

, Steve Huffsteter & Stewart Fischer – trumpets *Gil Falco, Charley Loper & David Sanchez – trombones *Morris Repass – bass trombone *

Chuck Domanico Charles Louis Domanico (January 20, 1944 – October 17, 2002) was an American jazz bassist who played double bass and bass guitar on the West Coast jazz scene. Domanico was born in Chicago. He settled in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. For ...

– bass *

Larry Bunker Lawrence Benjamin Bunker (November 4, 1928 – March 8, 2005) was an American jazz drummer, vibraphonist, and percussionist. A member of the Bill Evans Trio in the mid-1960s, he also played timpani with the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra. ...

– drums On "Calamus," "Bitter Leaf" & "Upper Manhattan Medical Group," Buddy Childers is replaced by John Audino.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thesaurus 1969 albums Albums arranged by Clare Fischer Atlantic Records albums Big band albums Clare Fischer albums