Ron Julian and the Sanctuary: Little Boy
‘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”
9 Comments
I’ve heard an f-load of versions of this song and this one is top-notch for a PP recording… scorching.
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:
hobbes@wcvt.com
thanks for the info! -j
Somebody knows Ron Julian???
I’d like to contact him???
Regretfully, there appears to be a type font problem with my initial post, but I think readers can get the gist of what I was trying to say.
Ron left the music scene in the late 70s, despite his enormous talent and respect within the industry. He felt he needed to pusue a career that provided a more stable income for his family…so he went into real-estate. Ron’s primary instrument was the alto sax as he was greatly influenced by so many great alto players of that and previous eras. Perhaps his greatest influences was his instructor/mentor…Boots Mussulli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_Mussulli).
A few years late, but do you still have this or can you upload a full recording? Ron was my flute teacher growing up, I remember playing a few of these tracks with him. Thanks.
Marlus: Ron is my father and we found these comments that brought a tear to his eye. He is very much alive and can be reached at 508 473-1542
hl adam i can send you a c.d. of little boy. you can call me anytime at 508-473-1542. tank you for your comments. i was not aware of all the e-mails on my record until my son jason just recently saw them by looking for my lp that someone sold on ebay. l was very suprised. thank you so much. yours truly ron julian.