Frank Rosolino ‘sheds’ Round Midnight and Invitation with Lou Levy


Rosolino-LevyThis very rare recording is truly a treasure. It was shared with me by Barry Kierce who received it years ago from Rick Blanc, a well-known and beloved New York/Los Angeles-based bass trombone player who spent much of his earlier career in Europe.

This is a “fly on the wall” recording of Frank and pianist Lou Levy discussing and playing the tunes Round Midnight and Invitation in the summer of 1978. This was definitely at the very end of Frank’s life in that fateful summer.

It is such a treat to hear these two masters explore these great tunes. Enjoy!

Round Midnight:

 

Invitation:

5 thoughts on “Frank Rosolino ‘sheds’ Round Midnight and Invitation with Lou Levy”

  1. I think these recordings came via Bobby Burgess. Bobby was telling me about unreleased recordings that he emotionally couldn’t listen to. My dear friend Rick Blanc R.I.P. would have sourced them from Bobby way back then. Rick had a host of knowledge from that era – he shared much treasured stories.

    1. You may be right Ross. Apparently there’s some extensive history to them. All I know for certain is that Barry Kierce got them from Rick Blanc. Thanks for sharing the additional information. I’m just happy to have made these recordings more public. I think they are terrific.

  2. Hello all, Mr. Hurley is probably correct about the source of this rare recording that I shared with Mike. Just by way of a little background, I was introduced to Rick Blanc by my Los Angeles trombone teacher and dear friend Les Benedict. When I met Rick he had recently moved from NY to be a part of the LA music scene some time in early 2000. While in LA, Rick played with a number of LA rehearsal bands and did trombone/brass repair work…Les would be able to provide far more specifics about Rick’s time playing in LA. Rick and I really got to know each other well via the work he did on a number of my trombones and various other creative trombone repair projects I had going on. Rick was a very bright, articulate person who shared some very interesting stories with me about his music experiences while working in Germany. For example, Rick and Bobby Burgess were friends while they both were living/working in Germany years ago and Rick mentioned that they enjoyed played duets together. Rick shared pictures he had of Bobby Burgess when Bobby’s trombone at the time was crushed and another picture showed that for a time, Bobby played a custom Larry Minick trombone.

    I’m glad folks will be able to enjoy this rare recording which was in Rick’s private collection…among a number of other cool recordings he shared with me.

    Rick was a great guy and good friend…I miss having our trombone “hang” times.

    I just want to thank Mike for posting this on his great site.

    Barry Kierce

    1. It makes sense that these came from Bobby Burgess. I knew Bobby, Rick, and Ross in Munich when I lived there; and Rick when he was here in Los Angeles. Bobby was a friend, and mentor to many; always supportive and encouraging. i can imagine that he wanted to share these. RIP Bobby, Rick, and Ross. You are all missed.

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