1957 · Album
New Sounds
Recorded 1954–1955 · Harmony (budget Columbia subsidiary) · Composer/Arranger/Conductor: Pete Rugolo
Rugolo's West Coast Colors in Motion
Budget label or not, these sessions captured Rugolo at his most inventive, surrounded by Los Angeles's finest.
Pete Rugolo was already a seasoned arranger and composer by the mid-1950s, but New Sounds found him working with one of the era's most distinctive voices: Jimmy Giuffre, whose cool, introspective tenor and soprano saxophones cut through these sessions with unusual clarity. Giuffre wasn't the only major voice here — Shorty Rogers, Maynard Ferguson, and Pete Candoli brought muscle on trumpet, while Shelly Manne anchored the rhythm section — but Giuffre's presence shaped the album's sensibility. His tone, drier and more reserved than the bebop mainstream, aligned perfectly with Rugolo's modernist bent, even when working within the constraints of a budget release.
These recordings originated in 1954 and 1955 at a moment when West Coast jazz was solidifying its identity. Rugolo had built his reputation on orchestral sophistication and tonal variety, and here he surrounds his soloists with French horns, tuba, timbales, and xylophone — colors that most bandleaders would have thought cluttered or precious. Instead, they sit naturally in the mix, creating space rather than clutter. Tracks breathe. Solos emerge from clean harmonic cushions rather than piling up on each other.
Released on Harmony, Columbia's budget subsidiary, New Sounds never had the promotional machinery of a major-label session, which meant it stayed somewhat peripheral in Rugolo's catalog. It wasn't a commercial breakthrough or a landmark recording that influenced everyone afterward. But it remains one of his most rewarding mid-career albums — a place where his orchestral gifts and his soloists' personalities aligned without strain or pretension.
Who's playing
Harry Babasinbass
George Robertsbass trombone
Howard Robertsguitar
Jimmy Giuffresaxophone
Bob Gordonbaritone saxophone
Pete Candolitrumpet
Maynard Fergusontrumpet
Shorty Rogerstrumpet
Vito N. Manganotrumpet
Milt Bernharttrombone
Bob Fitzpatricktrombone
John Halliburtontrombone
Harry Bettstrombone
Herbie Harpertrombone
Shelly Mannedrums
Bernie Mattisonpercussion
Joe Guerreropercussion
John CaveFrench horn
Bob Cooperwoodwind
Harry Kleewoodwind
Sinclair LottFrench horn
Paul Sarmentotuba
Bud Shankwoodwind
Claude Williamsonkeyboard
Frank Guerrerotimbales
Ralph Henselxylophone
Ethmer Rotenpiccolo
Where next?
The musicians on this record
The Drum Sessions 1975
Shelly Manne
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
♫
Tangents in Jazz 1955
Jimmy Giuffre
plays saxophone here
plays saxophone here
The Bob Cooper-Conte Candoli Quintet 1995
Bob Cooper
plays woodwind here
plays woodwind here
Courts the Count 1954
Shorty Rogers
plays trumpet here
plays trumpet here
