“March 3, 1978 a high school in Sacramento, California… a special night, as was every night on the road. There were no producers, no engineers, just Buddy at his best calling the tunes he wanted to play, recording the band the way he wanted, with no gimmicks. The amazing thing about this night is that what was captured on tape will make you jump out of your seat. If you had the good fortune to see one of Buddy’s concerts, you know that every night was EXTRAORDINARY in that Buddy always gave 110% no matter what, no matter where. This project is truly unique in that this is the first CD ever produced by Buddy himself.

We call this CD “No Funny Hats” in reference to something Buddy once said in an interview. The interviewer asked what Buddy thought of today’s music scene, to which Buddy replied, “Jazz is an American classic and we present it as such, without gimmicks and without funny hats and funny hair.”

— Cathy Rich