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Shaynee Rainbolt ; Golden Age VisitorWhen singer Shaynee Rainbolt took the JazzBakery stage in Los Angeles last fall, herinstrumental backing revealed a special format:a rhythm section with four trombones,conducted by Hollywood’s legendary RussGarcia. As Rainbolt sang Garcia’s songs fromher self-released Charmed Life CD, the composerhimself led the crack ensemble. It wassomething new, yet with an unmistakablesense of an earlier era.Rainbolt’s work with Garcia can be traced toher extensive background in the musical theater.When an injury laid her up for convalescence,she stumbled upon his music on the Internet.“His soundtrack for the movie The TimeMachine just blew me away,” she said. “Iresearched him and found out about his workwith singers and I knew I had to work with him.He had this backlog of material—often with hiswife Gina’s great lyrics—and it was the naturalprogression for me to sing an album of Garcia[material].”The 92-year-old Garcia was one of the busiestHollywood arrangers in the 1950s and ’60s. Hewrote for Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, MelTormè and Julie London among many others.His arranging classes at the fabled WestlakeSchool of Music included students Bill Holmanand Jimmy Giuffre, and “Four Brothers”was written as a homework assignment forGarcia. He penned The ProfessionalArranger Composer Book, a groundbreakingtext for budding music writers.Engineer Andy Waterman, who recordedCharmed Life in his Umbrella Media studio,studied Garcia’s book.“It was an important part of my training,”Waterman said. “After I opened mystudio, I did a number of projects withRuss. When we did the album withShaynee, I was impressed with how controlledshe sang. She’s got this trained,legit voice. She could have belted, but sheunderstood the romance and drama of thesongs. Russ’ style evokes the film noir eraof Hollywood music—it has mystery,longing and darkness. He’s comfortablewith the minor 9th.”Rainbolt’s musical acumen isn’t theonly aspect that impressed Waterman. “She’srepresentative of our new music business,” hesaid. “She conceived this album and made ithappen. That’s a far cry from the days whensingers did what were they told by record labela&r men.”Garcia, who has been living in New Zelandsince 1965, felt that Rainbolt’s project wasworth interrupting his beatific lifestyle.“I work if I feel like it these days,” he said.“Shaynee sent me a tape and I liked it. She sangwith a beat and she sang the meaning of thelyrics, I liked that. I also like how beautiful hervoice is.”—Kirk SilsbeeJOHN ABBOTTAugust 2009 DOWNBEAT 23