Blues & Other Happy Moments by The Barone Brothers

In 1962, Mike recorded Lalo Shifrin's "New Continent," which was performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival with Dizzy Gillespie's Quintet. The next few years were spent performing and recording with Dick Grove, Pete Jolly, Gabor Szabo, Oliver Nelson and many others. During this time, Mike also played with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra and many of his arrangements were recorded by Gerald and other artists.

In 1964, Mike started his own big band which was featured at Donte's Jazz Club from 1966 to 1969. After hearing some of Mike's charts, Doc Severinsen asked Mike to send some charts to New York for the NBC Tonight Show band. This started a twenty-three year relationship with Doc and the Tonight Show Band, for which he wrote over 300 original compositions and arrangements. Two of these, "Peachy" and "Superslick," were used as ending themes of the show for years. Other work in Los Angeles included and arranging and composing for television and movies, such as "Dynasty," "Falcon Crest," "Rocky Three" and the Academy Awards Show.

Mike moved to Colorado in 1987, where he released an album on TBA Records featuring Ernie Watts. After spending six years in Colorado, he moved to Vancouver, Washington in 1993.

Mike moved back to the LA area in 1997 and formed a new big band, which has performed at the Jazz Bakery, Clancey's, Ken Poston Big Band Party and the Big Band Jazz Party in Palm Springs. Meanwhile Mike's old big band recording, "Live at Donte's 1968," was released around 2000 by VSOP Records.

Mike wrote for the Academy Awards Show in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005. He still works occasionally as a sideman--most recently with Bud Shank.

The Mike Barone big band is slated to record a live performance on September 25, 2005, and Mike plans to release the CD in late 2005. Additionally, The Barone Brothers album, "Blues and Other Moments," will be re-released by the end of June 2005. Mike also has a song on "Lost Treasures," Herb Alpert's new CD, called "Happy Hour."

Gary Barone was born in Detroit, Michigan on December 12, 1941. He spent most of his youth in Cleveland, Ohio, where he began playing trumpet at age 6, and started his professional music career at the age of 14.

In 1965, Gary moved to Los Angeles where he played in the big bands of Stan Kenton, Gerald Wilson, Bill Holman, Terry Gibbs, and his brother Mike Barone. He also played with the small groups of Bud Shank, Frank Rossolino, Willie Bobo and, from 1967 to 1971, he was featured with Shelly Manne at the "Manne Hole" jazz club in Hollywood. Gary's discography from this period includes solo efforts with Shelly Manne, Bud Shank, Robby Krieger, Sara Vaughan, Stan Kenton, and Gerald Wilson, as well as his own album with his brother Mike.

Gary's TV and movie work included recording with composers Dave Grusin, Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin, and John Williams; he was featured soloist in the movie "New York, New York," and TV shows "Starsky and Hutch" and "Barney Miller." Between studio jobs, Gary toured with Supersax, Sergio Mendes, Frank Zappa, and Canned Heat. His activities are documented in the 1970's and 1980's versions of Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz.

In 1986, Gary moved to Portland, Oregon, where he taught at colleges and clinics, and performed with his own band. He also linked up with bassist David Friesen, with whom he made two European tours and played on four CDs.

In 1995, Gary was invited to the Jazz & Rock Schule Freiburg, Germany, as "Artist in Residence." Since living in Freiburg, he has performed with Jiggs Whigham, Christof Lauer, Tony Lakatos and Albert Mangelsdorf, and has recorded CD's with Florian Döling, Oliver Strauch, Matthias Stich, Waldi Heidepriem, and his own "Space Band." Gary currently teaches at the Jazz & Rock Shule Freiburg, leads the Freiburg Jazzhaus Big Band, and holds improvisation workshops. His concert activities include appearances with David Friesen, Ro Kuijpers, (CD: "Ta Ta Boom"), Hanna Schuly's "Quo Vado," and The Gary Barone Quintet.

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