Guest Post By: Brendan
The short-lived Paul Winter Sextet had the notable privilege of being the first Jazz group to perform at the White House. Signed to Columbia from 1961-1963, the group released six albums and were invited to play at the White House after a State Department tour of Latin America. The group disbanded following President Kennedy’s assassination, though many members continued to play – saxophonist Winter going on to win multiple Grammy awards.
Count Me In is a 50th Anniversary Anthology with the White House Concert making up approximately 25% of the 2-disc set. My favorite track on the set is “Insensatez” – an Antonio Carlos Jobim composition loosely based on Chopin’s Prelude No. 4. I also love their raucous performance of Lalo Shiffrin’s “Tocatta,” featuring a towering drum solo by Harold Jones. Paul Winter spoke recently about the collection and the White House performance on WNYC’s Soundcheck.
