Ron Julian and the Sanctuary: Little Boy
Posted on September 11, 2007 by DJelV2000
'Little Boy' by Ron Julian and the Sanctuary was the best of the church sale finds of the year for me. This Lp has one of those covers that scream "private" at you when you pull it out of a bin, and thankfully the sounds did not disappoint. Ron Julian made this recording in the late 60's and was obviously attempting to produce records in the crooner style, but this Lp has a different feel than most of the schmarm in the 'male vocal' section of the jazz stacks. The only way that I can describe this record 'Loner Jazz,' and i'm not sure that is even a genre. There are some instrumental tracks and some vocal ones, and while it appears on the surface to deal with fairly mundane subject matter, there's a feeling that I get when listening to it that is a bit unsettling. It's not a dark record, per se, but it has the ability to make you feel lonely, even if the subject matter is light. The track 'empathy' was the real winner for me, but the whole A side set's a mood that is unmistakable. The B side is not quite as strong as the A, but it does maintain some of that same mood.
I am under the impression that this is a relatively rare LP, as google provided no hits, and that feels like a shame, because there could be a following for the man's work.
Listen: Ron Julian: "Eleanor Rigby"
Filed under: Jazz
5 Comments to “Ron Julian and the Sanctuary: Little Boy”
this is pretty damn great. thankyou for sharing
When I was a young boy, I studied tenor saxophone under Ron in the late 60s/early 70s. I have this album in storage somewhere so I’m at a loss for the musician’s names. Ron and I often talked about the recordings between countless measures of improvisation — a real hallmark of Ron’s teaching method. The little boy on the cover was a friend’s kid who adored Ron and his wife Dee —and vice versa. The trombonist on the album (Gary Valente?) was very young but a real talent. I think he was only 18 at the time of the sessions. Ron confided to me that he was disappointed with the vocals but felt locked in to the arrangement by his friendship with the vocalist. The crooner style was really far removed from what he wanted. While Ron was still teaching and performing he directed an exceptional youth jazz band orchestra—a monumental ontaking that many of us will always grateful for.
hey Steve - if you ever wish to sell your copy, drop me a line:
thanks for the info! -j
Somebody knows Ron Julian???
I’d like to contact him???
Leave a Comment
I’ve heard an f-load of versions of this song and this one is top-notch for a PP recording… scorching.