Music
Press
"Your CD is fabulous. Congratulations! Really good."
Dave Pike, Legendary Jazz Vibraphonist
(about "pulin for YOU 2") - Dave Pike, Legendary Jazz Vibraphonist
Pulin manages to capture that classic bop nostalgia sound (by correct usage of the "bop notes"...flatted fifth, major seventh, and raised ninth) reminiscent of great groups like Dameron, Johnson/Winding (listen to his chart and trombone performance, along with watrous on "the bridge") Roach, Blakey, Brown, and Silver. Excellent traditional bop writing by Pulin ("Nina Knew") and his writing partner Loren "Jake" Lentz ("Little Blonde") make this a "can't miss" for all "dyed in the wool" bop jazz collectors. - John Joppa, Joppa Jazz Journal
"If you are a fan of tight horn charts with Blood, Sweat and Tears echoes and funky vocal jazz, and if you enjoy politically charged music, this Rich Pulin track is tailor-made for you."
(about "It's Not Our War") - Mik Davis, GM - WUSM-FM, Hattiesburg, MS
"Your passion is evident regarding the causes in which we believe... Keep up this important work with your talented group... Your style is an interesting mix of pop and funk which people in the national office enjoyed listening to. We especially liked the strength of the lyrics."
Stephanie
(about "It's Not Our War")
- "Not In Our Name" National Office
"You guys are hot........A great sound.....May your gigs be plentiful!"
Mike Smith - Sky Jazz Internet Radio
"Great stuff..."It's Not Our War" is a classic.
Your horn charts are off the hook! Great mix and a nice variety of styles. "Baby J" is gorgeous! Excuse the exclamations but you honor the cats that passed before us with great skill, style, and above all class. "Play His Horn" is funky as hell ! And everything is so well recorded, even the vocals are recorded flawlessly.
Peace,
Vince, visitor to RichPulin.com - RichPulin.com
"who were your main influences in formulating your arranging and playing styles?"
rich: " i believe that every american brass player has their "affair" with louis armstrong.."pops" was and always will be the first, the original jazz horn man that ever lived...he set the standard for everyone else that has followed him......at the age of 14, i switched from baritone horn(euphonium)to the trombone(after seeing the film, "the glenn miller story", starring jimmy stewart)so glenn miller's band records were on my turntable 24/7, then i became smitten with tommy dorsey......i awoke with tommy dorsey and went to bed with himand his great band.
glenn miller was a fine trombonist, but he is known for creating the sound of his band.he was a masterful arranger.........tommy dorsey didn't arrange but had all the best arrangers(and composers) in the business...my favorite dorsey arrangers were sy oliver, eddie sauter and bill finegan, and later on "my man" ernie wilkins did some great things for the last dorsey band, which also featured brother jimmy on alto sax and clarinet
mr. dorsey senior would not allow tommy and jimmy to play any other instruments until they mastered the cornet...and so they both became cornet virtuosos before they ultimately wound up on the instruments that made them famous.
from dorsey, i jumped to maynard ferguson...let's face it, there have been hundreds of great trumpet players, but the uniqueness of maynards playing(i don't only mean the high notes)places him in a category, seperated, at least in my book, from all of the others..
maynard is the reason that i'm able to play trombone, fairly effortlessly, in the higher register.
as far as jazz trombone:(tommy dorsey was no slouch although he always yielded to the gentleman from texas, jack teagarden...like louis armstrong on the trumpet, jack teagarden laid down the ground rules for playing jazz trombone and "ruled the roost" until jj johnson came along with technical and harmonic mastery not known to that point....imagine a trombone able to navigate those 200 m.p.h. heads that "bird" was playing.kai winding, the great danish trombonist, was an important player too..he and jj turned peoples heads with the group that they had in the early and mid-fifties....before we go on to the next question i want to pay homage to five other cats who i feel complete the picture(somewhat)and they are: carl fontana, frank rosolino, frank rehak, jimmy cleveland, and al grey....all of them important, unique players in the jazz trombone story!" - BY RUSSIAN PRESS
Van Nuys, California - March 21, 2005-
The Rich Pulin Sextet's "pulin for YOU 2", in head to head competition with five other bands took top spot in last week's skyjazz.com new cd contest.notification of the win will remain on the sky jazz website for the rest of the week of 3-21-05! - skyjazz.com
Discography
"it's not our war", "listen to him play his horn"(single)
Photos
Bio
I analogize life with baseball. It was exciting and also scary to be eighteen and starting out in the major leagues of the band business, with the Tommy Dorsey band under the direction of Warren Covington. That was the "Tea For Two Cha Cha" band and if it wasn't enough for a young kid to be traveling in fast company like that, add the allure of a hit record. And the whole experience was unbelievable!
My guardian angel knew that I was in over my head, though, and sent me Mary Johnston. Mary, a singer in her own right, was traveling with her husband, Lloyd, who was the lead alto player and manager of the band. She sat down next to me on the bus one night and explained that her agent, John O'Connor, also represented Johnny Long's band, which needed a trombonist right away. Warren Covington gave his blessings to leave adding that I was welcome back on the band anytime. I took him up on that offer later on when he needed a trombone player for a weekend gig.
Besides Warren's Dorsey band, I occupied bus seats with a variety of bands, including Tony Pastor, Les and Larry Elgart, The Lee Castle Jimmy Dorsey band, and Woody Herman.
I became a charter member of Clark Terry's Big Bad Band, which was a co-venture that he led with altoist Phil Woods, and trombonist Melba Liston. That band was a collection of all-stars including guys like Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Gene Quill, Randy Brecker, Jimmy Owens, Ron Carter, Grady Tate....you get the idea!
Later I split for Europe, winding up in the Netherlands, and wasn't seen or heard from again for seven years. I married a Dutch lady who just happened to be a recording producer for The Philips-Fonogram Company. Our first co-production was a son who we
named Yasha.
After that I ultimately became a part of the recording scene in Holland and all over Europe participating in hundreds of sessions as a Trombonist, composer/arranger, and producer.
Since my return to the U.S.( L.A.), I’ve appeared with numerous bands and performers, including
Art Pepper, Don Ellis, Ray Charles, and Tito Puente including his Monterey Jazz Festival appearance.
Incidentally..........................................
In addition to being blessed with wonderful, encouraging, and supportive parents, Helen and Hy Pulin, I was also "adopted" by a musician that I believe was tops on his instrument, tenor saxophone, and an icon in the field of jazz.........the inimitable Billy Mitchell.. "B" took me under his wing, and over the next fourty years we became best of friends (I had the honor and pleasure to gig and record with him both stateside and abroad). His input, whether it pertained to music or life was plentiful and was always welcomed. I considered him my mentor and I was honored that he thought of me as his protege.(other Billy Mitchell protege's include Charles McPherson, and Bobby Hutcherson). The Mitchell residence on Yale avenue in Rockville Centre, NY, was always a happy gathering place for musicians and other nice folk. Being "licensed" to "drop" the name Billy Mitchell over the years opened a lot of doors for me. I will always be greatly indebted to him and cherish the memory of both he and his wonderful wife Marge.
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