Buffum, Thomas

Composer and violinist whose early recordings include Bobby Callender's 1968 Rainbow LP and Jane Getz's 1972 album, No Ordinary Child. On 26^th April 1974, the Buffum Ensemble, which also included Denyse Nadeau Buffum and Julianna Buffum Holmes , premiered Thomas's "Blossom" and "Romance for Strings and Piano" under the umbrella of the South Bay Chamber Music Society, Inc. The program also included Buffum Ensemble pianist Richard Halligan's "Song for Cello" and "Where's West", as well as Felix Mendelssohn's unfinished "String Quartet, Op. 81". The same year, Thomas also appeared on Carole King's album, Wrap Around Joy. In 1976, he performed on Stanley Clarke's School Days, Johnny Hammond's Forever Taurus, and Waylon Jennings' Are You Ready for the Country. A couple of years later, he hooked up with Lalo Schifrin on his score for the movie Nunzio. In 1979, he was one of a plethora of session musicians on Frank Sinatra's boxed set, Trilogy. He reunited with Stanley Clarke in 1980 for Rock, Pebbles and Sand, and was a member of the string section on Hubert Laws' Family. In 1981, he played violin on Earth, Wind & Fire's Raise. The CD era affords us many opportunities to hear Thomas's recordings, many of them compilations such as Stanley Clarke's Original Album Classics and Trios: East River Drive/Schooldays/Live at the Greek, Waylon Jennings Nashville Rebel, Carole King's A Natural Woman: The Ode Collection (1968-1976), and Sho Nuff Groove: The Best of Harvey Mason.

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