Dream Is You – Tadd Dameron
This sweet, lyrical melody has an old fashioned romantic sensibility and a distinctively Dameronian sound, changes from Out Of Nowhere.
- Recording: Milt Jackson - Big Bags
- Recorded on: June 19, 1962
- Label: Riverside (RLP 429)
- Concert Key: G
- Style: Swing (medium slow)
- Trumpets - Clark Terry, Doc Severinson, Dave Burns
- Alto Saxes, Flutes - James Moody, George Dorsey
- Tenor Sax, Flute - Jerome Richardson
- Tenor Sax - Jimmy Heath
- Bari Sax - Tate Houston
- Trombones - Jimmy Cleveland, Melba Liston
- French horn - Willie Ruff
- Vibes - Milt Jackson
- Piano - Hank Jones
- Bass - Ron Carter
- Drums - Connie Kay
- Director and arranger - Tadd Dameron
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Currently, this is the only recording of this beautiful composition. As you can see from the personnel list, there was almost a full big band to play Tadd's arrangements accompanying vibraphonist Milt Jackson. In this arrangement, Tadd features the band (with trumpet lead) playing the B and C sections of this A-B-A-C form melody.
Don Sickler admits, "If you're familiar with Dameron's compositions, you know his melodies have a unique and identifiable "Dameron" quality. The Dream Is You is so distinctively Dameron, that when I first heard this recording I didn't realize until the solo section that Tadd had borrowed the basic chord progression (making a few minor changes) from the standard Out Of Nowhere."
Don Sickler admits, "If you're familiar with Dameron's compositions, you know his melodies have a unique and identifiable "Dameron" quality. The Dream Is You is so distinctively Dameron, that when I first heard this recording I didn't realize until the solo section that Tadd had borrowed the basic chord progression (making a few minor changes) from the standard Out Of Nowhere."
Earlier in 1962, Tadd recorded his "The Magic Touch" album for Riverside Records over three sessions (February 27, March 9 and April 16.) The Milt Jackson "Big Bags" project was next. Tadd and saxophonist/arranger Ernie Wilkins both contributed arrangements and conducted for this project, recorded over three days as well. The Dream Is You was recorded on the first session; the last session day was July 5. Shortly after, on July 16 and 17, Tadd went back in the recording studio for Atlantic Records with more arrangements, this time for "Sonny Stitt & The Top Brass."
Don continues, "Recording-wise, the relationship between Tadd Dameron and Milt Jackson goes back to 1947 with Dizzy Gillespie's big band. I was fortunate to have quite a few beautiful conversations with Milt Jackson about Tadd. There is one very sad thing Milt discussed with me relating to an earlier session in 1962 (for Milt's January 29, 1962, date for Atlantic) where they recorded four Tadd Dameron original compositions that Tadd had arranged for a nonet. Instead of releasing them as part of "Big Bags," they were kept in the vault for a later release. Tragically, the tapes for that session as well as many other Atlantic sessions were destroyed in a fire."
To learn more about Dameron, check out musician and educator Paul Combs' biography of Dameron, "Dameronia: The Life and Music of Tadd Dameron."
Don continues, "Recording-wise, the relationship between Tadd Dameron and Milt Jackson goes back to 1947 with Dizzy Gillespie's big band. I was fortunate to have quite a few beautiful conversations with Milt Jackson about Tadd. There is one very sad thing Milt discussed with me relating to an earlier session in 1962 (for Milt's January 29, 1962, date for Atlantic) where they recorded four Tadd Dameron original compositions that Tadd had arranged for a nonet. Instead of releasing them as part of "Big Bags," they were kept in the vault for a later release. Tragically, the tapes for that session as well as many other Atlantic sessions were destroyed in a fire."
To learn more about Dameron, check out musician and educator Paul Combs' biography of Dameron, "Dameronia: The Life and Music of Tadd Dameron."
Tadd Dameron
February 21, 1917 – March 8, 1965
A giant of the bebop era, Dameron had a wonderful melodic and harmonic imagination which he brought to compositions and arrangements for both small and big bands. Writing first for Harlan Leonard, Jimmy Lunceford, Count Basie and Billy Eckstine, in the late '40s Dameron started composing and arranging for Dizzy Gillespie's big band. He also recorded his own superb sextet for Blue Note Records in 1947 which featured trumpet great Fats Navarro. Read more...