Elise Sax Popular Books

Elise Sax Biography & Facts

Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is an American jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. BS&T has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a wide range of musical styles. Their sound has merged rock, pop and R&B/soul music with big band jazz. The group's self-titled second album spent seven weeks atop the U.S. charts in 1969 and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1970. It contained the hit recordings "And When I Die", "You've Made Me So Very Happy", and "Spinning Wheel". All of these peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up album, Blood, Sweat & Tears 3, also reached number one in the U.S. In addition to original music, the group is known for arrangements of popular songs by Laura Nyro, James Taylor, Carole King, the Band, the Rolling Stones, Billie Holiday and many others. The group has also adapted music from Erik Satie, Thelonious Monk and Sergei Prokofiev into their arrangements. The group was inspired by the "brass-rock" of the Buckinghams and their producer, James William Guercio, as well as the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra. BS&T's success paralleled that of similarly configured ensembles such as Chicago and the Electric Flag, but by the mid-1970s the group's popularity had declined. Al Kooper era Al Kooper (keyboards, vocals), Bobby Colomby (drums), Steve Katz (guitar, vocals), and Jim Fielder (bass) played at the Village Theatre (later renamed Fillmore East) in New York City on September 16, 1967, with James Cotton Blues Band opening. Kooper was the initial singer and musical director, having insisted on that position based on his work with the Blues Project, his previous band with Katz.Fred Lipsius (alto sax, piano) joined the others a month later. A few more shows were played before Lipsius recruited horn players Dick Halligan, Randy Brecker, and Jerry Weiss. The octet debuted at the Cafe Au Go Go on November 17–19, 1967, then played The Scene the following week. Audiences were impressed with the innovative fusion of contemporary styles. After signing to Columbia Records, the group released Child Is Father to the Man which reached number 47 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart in the United States. Artistic differences quickly developed. Colomby and Katz wanted to hire a stronger lead vocalist. This led to the departure of Kooper in April 1968. Prior to leaving Kooper had already arranged some songs that would be on the second BS&T album. He was soon hired as a record producer at Columbia. Trumpeters Randy Brecker and Jerry Weiss also left and were replaced by Lew Soloff and Chuck Winfield. Brecker joined Horace Silver's band. Jerry Weiss went on to start the similarly styled group Ambergris. David Clayton-Thomas era Colomby and Katz looked for a new vocalist and considered Alex Chilton, Stephen Stills, and Laura Nyro, before deciding on David Clayton-Thomas, a Canadian from Toronto. Trombonist Halligan moved to organ and Jerry Hyman was added on trombone. The new nine-member band debuted at New York's Cafe Au Go Go on June 18, 1968, beginning a two-week residency. The self-titled second album, Blood, Sweat & Tears, was produced by Guercio and much of the album was arranged by Lipsius. It featured fewer original songs but greater chart success. It included Nyro's "And When I Die", "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Berry Gordy and Brenda Holloway, and Clayton-Thomas' "Spinning Wheel". The band enjoyed headliner status at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969. A film crew caught a few songs, but the band's manager Bennett Glotzer ordered the crew to turn off the cameras and leave the stage since the band had not agreed nor been paid for filming. The band went on a United States Department of State-sponsored tour of Eastern Europe in May/June 1970. Voluntary association with the U.S. government was highly unpopular with "underground" rock fans at the time, some of whom engaged in radical politics. The band was criticized for allowing itself to be co-opted. It is now known that the State Department subtly pressured the group into the tour in exchange for a U.S. residency permit to Clayton-Thomas, who had a criminal record in Canada, and had been deported from the U.S. after overstaying his visa. The tour and its aftermath is the focus of a 2023 feature-length documentary titled "What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?" After returning to the U.S., the group released Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 in June 1970, produced by Roy Halee and Colomby. The album was another success, spawning hit singles with Carole King's "Hi-De-Ho" and another Clayton-Thomas composition, "Lucretia MacEvil". The group recreated the formula with more arrangements by Lipsius. Reviews sometimes focused solely upon the band's work with the U.S. State Department, without discussing the music. Compounding the image problem was a decision to play a lucrative engagement at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip. This was unpopular with young underground rock fans who identified Las Vegas entertainers with the music of their parents' generation. In late 1970, the band produced soundtrack music for the film comedy The Owl and the Pussycat , which starred Barbra Streisand and George Segal. The group reconvened in San Francisco in January 1971 with jazz writer/saxophonist Don Heckman serving as producer. With Dave Bargeron replacing Jerry Hyman, they recorded the fourth album, BS&T 4, released in June 1971. Notable tracks included David Clayton-Thomas' "Go Down Gamblin'" and Al Kooper's "Holy John (John the Baptist)". BS&T 4 earned the group a gold record, however, none of the singles reached the Top 30. During this period the group's popular and commercial success began to decline.After a final show at Anaheim Convention Center on December 31, 1971, Clayton-Thomas left in early January 1972 to pursue a solo career. Columbia issued a Greatest Hits album in February 1972. This album contained edited single versions of some songs, rather than the full-length album versions. It earned a gold record award in the US, the last BS&T album to do so. Jerry Fisher era Clayton-Thomas was briefly replaced by Bobby Doyle and then Jerry Fisher. Fred Lipsius left as well and was briefly replaced by Joe Henderson, before Lou Marini settled into the new lineup. Founding member Halligan also departed, replaced by jazz pianist Larry Willis (from the Cannonball Adderley Quintet), and Swedish guitarist Georg Wadenius, from the popular Swedish outfit Made in Sweden, joined as lead guitarist around the same time. BS&T released New Blood in September 1972, which found the group moving into a more overtly jazz-fusion direction. The album reached the top 40 on the Billboard chart and spawned a hit single "So Long Dixie", which peaked at number 44. Also included was a version of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage", featuring .... Discover the Elise Sax popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Elise Sax books.

Best Seller Elise Sax Books of 2024

  • A Doom with a View synopsis, comments

    A Doom with a View

    Elise Sax

    Matilda Dare still can't sleep. Since she's arrived in Goodnight, New Mexico, she's solved one murder and had more than one conversation with a dead woman. Obsessed with finding th...

  • Slay Misty For Me synopsis, comments

    Slay Misty For Me

    Elise Sax

    "Fans of laughoutloud romantic suspense will enjoy this author as she joins the ranks of Janet Evanovich, Katie MacAllister, and Jennifer Crusie."Booklist"Elise Sax will win your h...

  • Five Wishes Series synopsis, comments

    Five Wishes Series

    Elise Sax

    "Elise Sax will win your heart."NYT bestelling author Jill Shalvis "Fans of laughoutloud romantic suspense will enjoy this new author as she joins the ranks of Janet Evanovich...

  • Just Sacked synopsis, comments

    Just Sacked

    Elise Sax

    "Elise Sax will win your heart."NYT bestelling author Jill Shalvis  "Elise Sax will make you laugh. Her largerthanlife characters jump off the page and make crazy seem li...

  • Blown Away synopsis, comments

    Blown Away

    Elise Sax

    "Elise Sax will win your heart." Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author "Fans of laughoutloud romantic suspense will enjoy this author as she joins the ranks of Jane...

  • From Fear To Eternity synopsis, comments

    From Fear To Eternity

    Elise Sax

    "Will no doubt delight fans and new readers alike."RT Book ReviewsGladie is back with the fifth installment of the hilarious Matchmaker Mysteries series.It's still up in the air wh...

  • Delivery Happiness synopsis, comments

    Delivery Happiness

    Elise Sax

    Eliza Farris has a great husband and a nearperfect life. That is, until her husband leaves her for Tight Tammy, his personal trainer. With an initial dive into junk food and lessth...

  • Going Down synopsis, comments

    Going Down

    Elise Sax

    Marion MacAlister wants to nail her audition, not get nailed. Truly. Honestly. All right...maybe she does want to get nailed, but that's just because her hottie landlord and local ...

  • Surrender in Crime synopsis, comments

    Surrender in Crime

    Elise Sax

    Ever since Piper walked out of the Redwood Forest, naked and amnesiac, she's been desperate to find out who she is and why so many people want her dead. Now, engaged to be married ...

  • Die Noon synopsis, comments

    Die Noon

    Elise Sax

    Matilda Dare can't sleep. Her insomnia is one more reason to move to the quirky small town of Goodnight, New Mexico after she inherits a house, a small newspaper, and two old dogs ...

  • Man Candy synopsis, comments

    Man Candy

    Elise Sax

    "Elise Sax will win your heart."NYT bestelling author Jill Shalvis  "Elise Sax will make you laugh. Her largerthanlife characters jump off the page and make crazy seem li...

  • It Happened One Fright synopsis, comments

    It Happened One Fright

    Elise Sax

    It Happened One Fright is the 8th installment of the hilarious Matchmaker Mysteries Series.Spencer might have marriage on his mind, but Gladie is distracted by her best friend's tr...

  • Three More Wishes synopsis, comments

    Three More Wishes

    Elise Sax

    "Elise Sax will win your heart." Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author "Fans of laughoutloud romantic suspense will enjoy this author as she joins the ranks of Jane...

  • Ship of Ghouls synopsis, comments

    Ship of Ghouls

    Elise Sax

    Gladie and Spencer are finally married. After they're gifted a honeymoon cruise, they're on their way into international waters. But the ship is less than luxurious, and the ship's...

  • Partners in Crime synopsis, comments

    Partners in Crime

    Elise Sax

    A string of brutal murders. An international conspiracy that includes the highest seats of power. A ruthless, sadistic killer who's intent on terrorizing women.It's tough out there...

  • Quick Bang synopsis, comments

    Quick Bang

    Elise Sax

    "Elise Sax will win your heart." Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author "Fans of laughoutloud romantic suspense will enjoy this author as she joins the ranks of Jane...

  • Wicked Ride synopsis, comments

    Wicked Ride

    Elise Sax

    "Elise Sax will win your heart."NYT bestelling author Jill Shalvis  "Elise Sax will make you laugh. Her largerthanlife characters jump off the page and make crazy seem li...

  • Going Down and Man Candy synopsis, comments

    Going Down and Man Candy

    Elise Sax

    "Elise Sax will win your heart."NYT bestelling author Jill Shalvis "Elise Sax will make you laugh. Her largerthanlife characters jump off the page and make crazy seem like a f...

  • Hot Wired synopsis, comments

    Hot Wired

    Elise Sax

    "Elise Sax will win your heart."NYT bestelling author Jill Shalvis  "Elise Sax will make you laugh. Her largerthanlife characters jump off the page and make crazy seem li...

  • Scareplane synopsis, comments

    Scareplane

    Elise Sax

    "With quirky characters reminiscent of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and a smalltown heroine redolent of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse."RT Book ReviewsScareplane is...