Album Notes

This is a quote from the orginal album cover by Gene Lees, lyricist, critic, publisher, and editor of Jazzletter.

Shortly after Gary LeFebvre's first album as a leader came out on the Disovery Label in 1982, Oscar Treadwell, the resspected jazz broadcaster of WGUC, Cincinnati, told me. " I audition about ten new albunms each week, and I am constaltly shocked be the high level of musicianship and jazz sense exhibited by relatively unknown players. This is one of the reasons I became almost messianic about the music to my listeners."

Oscar is not the only one who discovered Gary at that time. I did too. Phil Woods had turned me onto his playing, and like Oscar, I was bowled over. musing on the vagaries of destiny that bestowe recognition early on some people (often whether they deserve it or not)and withhold it from others until much later.

The late Frank Butler, who played drums on that album and worked often with Gary, said, "Blessed with being recognized as some of the greatest tenor players are John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Harold Land and Walter Benton. I feel I must add Gary to the list." And the late Shelley Manne said, "This man, who has devoted his whole life to jazz, should take his rightful palace among the saxophonists' elite." . . .

. . .Frank Butler was right. There are any number of great musicians who are unknown, or too little known, to the international public. One Of them is Gary LeFebvre. That first album changed that a little. This one should change it some more. If you are encountering Gary for the first time, you are in for a very pleasant surprise.