The Drum Suite
{{about|the album by the Manny Albam-Ernie Wilkins Orchestra|the album by Art Blakey|Drum Suite|the album by Slide Hampton|Drum Suite (Slide Hampton album)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = The Drum Suite
| type = Album
| artist = Manny Albam-Ernie Wilkins and Their Orchestra
| cover = The Drum Suite.jpg
| alt =
| released = 1956
| recorded = March 5, 6 & 7, 1956
Webster Hall, NYC
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Jazz
| length = 36:52
| label = RCA Victor
LPM 1279
| producer = Jack Lewis
| chronology = Ernie Wilkins
| prev_title = Top Brass
| prev_year = 1955
| next_title = The Big New Band of the 60's
| next_year = 1960
}}
The Drum Suite (subtitled A Musical Portrait of Eight Arms from Six Angles) is an album by American jazz composers and arrangers Manny Albam and Ernie Wilkins featuring performances recorded in 1956 and first released on the RCA Victor label.[http://www.discogs.com/Manny-Albam-Ernie-Wilkins-The-Drum-Suite/release/725534 Discogs album entry] accessed February 5, 2016 The album was followed by Al Cohn's Son of Drum Suite (RCA Victor, 1960).
Reception
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
}}
The AllMusic review stated "No doubt written to exploit the hi-fi craze in full swing during Ike's presidency, Manny Albams' and Ernie Wilkins' The Drum Suite took the unprecedented step of including parts for four drummers. Inevitably, Albams and Wilkins abandoned the anarchic idea of turning all four drummers loose at the same time; thus these six movements -- divided equally between the two composers -- feature carefully written-out parts for each drummer to follow. ...By keeping things free of gimmickry, Albams/Wilkins created a viable piece of music that, if truth be told, could have been performed acceptably by one drummer." and awarded the album 4 stars.{{AllMusic|first=Richard S. |last=Ginell |class=album |id=mw0000222464 |title=The Drum Suite – Review |accessdate=February 5, 2016}}
Track listing
All compositions by Ernie Wilkins except as indicated
- "First Movement: Dancers on Drums" - 5:20
- "Second Movement: Bristling" (Manny Albam) - 5:22
- "Third Movement: Chant of the Witch Doctor" (Albam) - 6:30
- "Fourth Movement: Skinning the Valves" (Albam) - 6:05
- "Fifth Movement: Cymbalisms" - 7:35
- "Sixth Movement: The Octopus" - 6:00
Personnel
- Manny Albam, Ernie Wilkins - arranger, conductor
- Conte Candoli (tracks 3, 4 & 5), Joe Ferrante (track 4), Bernie Glow (track 4), Joe Newman (tracks 1-6), Ernie Royal (track 4) - trumpet
- Jimmy O'Heigho (track 2), Urbie Green (track 3), Fred Ohms (track A3), Tommy Mitchell (track 3), Chauncey Welsch (track 3) - trombone
- John Barrows, Jimmy Buffington - French horn (track 5)
- Al Epstein - English horn (track 3)
- Ray Beckenstein - piccolo (track 3)
- Hal McKusick - alto saxophone (tracks 1, 2 & 4)
- Al Cohn - tenor saxophone, clarinet (tracks 2, 3 & 6)
- Gus Johnson, Osie Johnson, Don Lamond, Teddy Sommer – drums
References
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