ABOUT THE ALBUM Nothing but very pretty chordal solo guitar music of very pretty tunes. This is a laid-back, easy-listening album. Nonintrusive. Nonoffensive. Very easy to listen to. (Total time: 44:09) ABOUT THE ARTIST Bob Burford is a self-taught finger-style jazz guitarist who grew up with a guitar in the house. He was surrounded by uncles on both sides of the family who played Texas Swing and Hillbilly (that was before the term "Country & Western" was coined). He started playing in clubs at the age of 15 in the resort area of southwestern Michigan in the early 1950s. At age 17 he began working with show bands playing rhythm and blues and jazz. Later, he studied privately with renowned guitarist Charlie Byrd who, with tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, introduced bossa nova to North America with their “Jazz Samba” album in the early 1960s. Byrd introduced him to John Marlow at American University in Washington, D.C., with whom he studied classical guitar. From there he went to Las Vegas where he worked for Al Ramsey who contracted a stable of musicians who backed all of the casino headliners. Ramsey later became director of entertainment at Caesar’s Palace. Burford's claim to fame comes more from who he did not work with rather than who he has worked with. He got the call from Ramsey's office to work the Sinatra show but he missed that date because his answering service failed to give him the message until 26 hours later. He is most proud of his two-year association with legendary guitarist George Barnes (Chet Atkins' favorite guitarist) at Concord Jazz in California. That collaboration produced what came to be known as “the Concord Sound.” Burford is semi-retired now but still owns a private investigative agency in Nashville where he is actively involved in the music scene. ABOUT THE TUNES 1. If - David Gates - David Gates founded the soft rock group Bread in the late sixties which lasted about six years. Their first album included his tunes, “It Don't Matter to Me” and “(I'd like to) Make it with You.” “If” was a smash hit from the group's 1971 album, Manna. Among other popular tunes penned by Gates is “Aubrey,” “Let Your Love Go,” “She Was My Lady” and “Baby I'm a Want You,” to name just a few of the 100-plus tunes written by him. “If” was recorded by the likes of Perry Como, Julio Iglesias, Dolly Parton, Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, Henry Mancini, Cleo Laine and the Lettermen, to name just a few of the many. 2. Old Folks - Dedette Lee Hill, Willard Robison - Some of the many who recorded “Old Folks” are Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Sonny Rollins, George Shearing, Pat Matheny, Lou Rawls, Miles Davis, Eddy Arnold, Bing Crosby, Mel Torme, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, the Four Freshmen and Etta Jones. Willard Robison is also the author of “Cottage for Sale.” 3. Easy Living - Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin - A certifiable classic jazz standard having been recorded by just about everyone in – and out – of jazz. A list of artists who recorded it reads like a “who's who” in jazz. So, instead of listing those who recorded it, just think of an artist's name, just pick one, and you're most likely to find it on the list. 4. Sweet Lorraine - Clifford Burwell, Mitchell Parish - Please refer to the narrative under “Easy Living.” Same thing. This tune was a huge hit for Nat King Cole. 5. Turn Out The Stars - Bill Evans - This tune is classic Bill Evans genius. The fact that it has been recorded by almost no one should come as a surprise to absolutely no one. The complexity of Evans' musical genius pretty much precludes his work's popularity among the masses as well as performance by the plethora of wannabes. Here's a heads-up for anyone interested. Tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb (of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show band) and absolutely delicious pianist Lori Mechem recently recorded an album in Nashville that includes an extraordinary performance of this tune. The mix has been approved and it's in production as this is being written. 6. You Are Too Beautiful - Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart - Another classic jazz standard that can be found in just about every jazz player's repertoire. 7. You'll Never Walk Alone - Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II - From “Carousel.” Just one more all-time beautiful song recorded by everyone. 8. Polka Dots and Moonbeams - Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke - Did Jimmy Van Heusen write anything that wasn't a gem? 9. Dvorak's New World Symphony - Antonin Dvorak - This is a small part extracted from Dvorak's classic work. 10. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most - Frances Landesman, Thomas Wolf, Jr. - Another beautiful old jazz standard. 11. Bach's Bourree in E Minor / Autumn Leaves - Johann Sebastian Bach / Joseph Kozma, Johnny Mercer, Jacques Andre Prevert - In a combo setting I play a standard classical guitar rendition of Bach's Bourree which leads into a counterpoint thing with guitar and bass, and that is my idea of an introduction to a swinging rendition of “Autumn Leaves.” Here, however, the two are found together for absolutely no reason whatsoever other than maybe the fact that they're both done in the key of E minor. 12. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square - Eric Maschwitz, Manning Sherwin - One of the finest, tastiest guitarists on the scene today is Gray Sargent, largely unsung and mostly overlooked by the masses, most likely because of his extraordinary fine taste as well as his talent. His version of this tune is nothing short of awesome. The Manhattan Transfer's rendering of this tune is so fine it will likely leave the listener momentarily paralyzed. For years I thought the title of this tune was “Barclay” instead of “Berkeley” since that's the way I always heard it vocalized. However, “Berkeley” is the legal registered name. That notwithstanding, if I were to sing it, I'd still use “Barclay.” Old habits die hard. (Errata: There's an inexplicable typo in the title on the disc.) 13. Tarrega's Recuerdos de la Alhambra - Eixea Francisco Tarrega - This classical guitar piece is usually played in a much busier, more nervous fashion (avoiding technical classical guitarspeak). I recorded it both as it is written and as you hear it here on this disc. Of those friends and acquaintances (ranging in age from 15 to 77) I asked to make a judgment call on which they liked better, no one preferred the original. If the listener wants to hear the original, there is a plethora of recordings of it by Segovia, Williams, Bream, Ghiglia, Parkening, ad nauseum. 14. Here, There and Everywhere - John Winston Lennon, Paul McCartney - An absolutely gorgeous song written by a couple of geniuses. This is just one of several tunes that was first introduced in the Rock genre that was picked up by those in Pop, Classical, and Jazz. When the ignorant elitists make their broadbrush swipe that Rock sucks, they need to think about this and many other tunes (“If”, the first tune on this album, for instance). This tune was recorded by none other than Count Basie, Tony Bennett, Bucky Pizzarelli and Joe Venuti, George Benson, David Benoit, Perry Como and the Lettermen. Trivia: The most recorded tune of all time is Paul McCartney's “Yesterday.” As of 1986 there were no fewer than 1600 unique recordings of it. That was twenty years ago. That number is probably stratospheric by now. 15. We'll Be Together Again - Carl Fischer, Frankie Laine - Another much-recorded jazz standard. This tune was a big hit for Frankie Laine. It's a departure from what he's better known for, i.e., "Mule Train" and "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin'" from the all-time western classic "High Noon" (1952) starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. 16. Here's That Rainy Day - Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke - Another Van Heusen/Johnny Burke masterpiece. Again I ask, did Jimmy Van Heusen write anything that wasn't a gem? Trivia: Frank Sinatra, who recorded 76 Jimmy Van Heusen tunes, would end his show with, "Good night Edward Chester Babcock, wherever you are." That was Van Heusen's real name. He took the Van Heusen name from the shirt label. 17. Moonlight in Vermont - John Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf - I think it was this tune that “made” Johnny Smith's career. If it didn't make his career, it certainly made his reputation. And rightly, justifiably so. He displayed an amazing, unique, unparalleled, mastery of his guitartistry. 18. 'Round Midnight - Thelonious Monk, Bernard Hanighen, Cootie Williams - The list of those who recorded this jazz classic just goes on and on and on. Trivia: When the manuscript for this tune got to the publisher, one of the secretaries who was hung up on proper english changed the name to “Round About Midnight”. 19. Body and Soul - Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour - No comment. This tune, as is the case with most of the others, needs no comment. 20. Danny Boy - Frederick Weatherly - Just a really beautiful piece that lends itself very nicely to the guitar. 21. Tenderly - Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh - Ditto.