Lou's Blues is an album by saxophonist Lou Marini

Lou Marini

Lou Marini, Jr. is an American saxophonist, arranger and composer. He is noted for his work in the jazz, rock, blues and soul music traditions.-Early life and range of musical experience:...

 and the Magic City Jazz Orchestra

Magic City Jazz Orchestra

The Magic City Jazz Orchestra is an American jazz ensemble which was founded in 1999 as a spin-off of the SuperJazz Big Band by Birmingham, Alabama jazz pianist and vocalist Ray Reach...

 (MCJO) recorded at Bates Brothers Recording in Hueytown, Alabama

Hueytown, Alabama

Hueytown is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 16,105.It was the home of the legendary NASCAR Alabama Gang...

 (near Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

, Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

). This CD was the first recording as a leader by Marini. Lou Marini is best known as a member of several noted bands, including Blood, Sweat and Tears, Steely Dan

Steely Dan

Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...

, the Woody Herman

Woody Herman

Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...

 Orchestra, the Buddy Rich

Buddy Rich

Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...

 Band, The Maureen McGovern

Maureen McGovern

Maureen Therese McGovern is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her premier renditions of the Oscar winning songs "The Morning After" from the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure, and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno in 1974.-Early life:McGovern was...

 Band, the James Taylor

James Taylor

James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....

 Band, the Saturday Night Live Band

Saturday Night Live Band

The Saturday Night Live Band is the house band of the NBC television program Saturday Night Live .-Noteworthy members:...

 and the Blues Brothers Band. Production duties for the album were shared by Lou Marini and Birmingham-based jazz musician Ray Reach

Ray Reach

Raymond Everett Reach, Jr. is an American pianist, vocalist and educator residing in Birmingham, Alabama, now serving as Director of Student Jazz Programs for the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, director of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame All-Stars and President and CEO of Ray Reach Music and Magic City...

.

All of the arrangements on this CD were written by Lou Marini, and all the compositions are his, except for "Mr. Clean," which was composed by Weldon Irvine

Weldon Irvine

Weldon Jonathan Irvine, Jr. , also known Master Wel, was an American composer, playwright, poet, pianist and organist.-Biography:...

. Some of the charts on this album have become enduring favorites of the Lab Bands at the University of North Texas

University of North Texas

The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...

. Liner notes for the CD were written by Grammy Award winning saxophonist, arranger, composer and producer, Bob Belden

Bob Belden

James Robert Belden is an American saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader and producer. He is noted for his Grammy Award winning jazz orchestral recording titled The Black Dahlia. He is also a past head of A & R for Blue Note Records.Belden was born in Evanston, Illinois, and raised in...

.

Track listing

1. "Lou's Blues"
2. "Looking With New Eyes"
3. "Hip Pickles"
4. "Odalisk"
5. "Mr. Clean"
6. "Song For John"
7. "Dangerous Cargo"
8. "Rena / Country"

Magic City Jazz Orchestra (MCJO) Personnel

The MCJO personnel for Lou's Blues included:

• Founding Director: Ray Reach
  Ray Reach
  Raymond Everett Reach, Jr. is an American pianist, vocalist and educator residing in Birmingham, Alabama, now serving as Director of Student Jazz Programs for the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, director of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame All-Stars and President and CEO of Ray Reach Music and Magic City...
  
  
• Woodwinds: Gary Hallquist, Gary Wheat, Neil McLean
  Neil McLean (saxophonist)
  Neil McLean is an American saxophonist now residing in Tyler, Texas. As a member of the Henry Kimbrell Group, Ray Reach and Friends, the and the Magic City Jazz Orchestra, he worked with numerous notable performers, including Dionne Warwick, Ella Fitzgerald, Ernie Watts, Lou Marini, Ellis...
  
  , Grady Chandler, Daniel Western and Kim Bain
• Trumpets: Mart Avant, Chris Gordon, John Taylor, Craig Konicek, Bo Berry and Daryl Jones
• Trombones: Steve Pryor, Edson Worden, Dr. Bob Black, Charles Ard, and Jim Moeller
• Rhythm Section: Robert Dickson
  Robert Dickson (bassist)
  Robert Dickson is an American jazz bassist residing in Atlanta, Georgia. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Robert lived and worked in Birmingham, Alabama for more than 15 years. He holds the Bachelor of Music from the University of Alabama and the Master of Music from the University of New...
  
   and Chris Wendle on bass, Tom Wolfe and Jim Wallis on guitar, Steve Sample, Jr (son of Steve Sample, Sr
  Steve Sample, Sr
  Steve Sample, Sr is a renowned bandleader, arranger, composer and jazz educator now residing in Bellingham, Washington. For more than 30 years, Sample was a professor in the Music Department of the University of Alabama, where he directed the Jazz Ensembles and taught music theory, arranging and...
  
  ) and Sonny Harris on drums, and Ray Reach
  Ray Reach
  Raymond Everett Reach, Jr. is an American pianist, vocalist and educator residing in Birmingham, Alabama, now serving as Director of Student Jazz Programs for the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, director of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame All-Stars and President and CEO of Ray Reach Music and Magic City...
  
   on piano and organ.

External links

• Ray Reach - Official Website
• Magic City Jazz Orchestra at AllAboutJazz.com (Includes a reprint of the CD liner notes, written by Bob Belden
  Bob Belden
  James Robert Belden is an American saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader and producer. He is noted for his Grammy Award winning jazz orchestral recording titled The Black Dahlia. He is also a past head of A & R for Blue Note Records.Belden was born in Evanston, Illinois, and raised in...
  
  .)
• Article from April 7, 2004 edition of the Sentinel-Tribune, Bowling Green, Ohio mentions Lou Marini and the Magic City Jazz Orchestra
• Lou's Blues reviews
• "Lou's Blues" CD at Amazon.com
• "Lou's Blues" CD at BarnesandNoble.com