check out
the new cd
------->		  
 
For the working musician, it's not about fame or money. It's about the music, the daily struggle to dig deeper and make it better, no matter the music or the audience. "Doodles, Volume One" is what it sounds like when two unsung heroes play music for themselves.

Wang Dang is Billy Courtman and Jeff Ganz.

Listen to soundclips and purchase | Download MP3
  1. Doxy (S. Rollins)
    Billy - National Baritone Polychrome Tricone
    Jeff - Hondo eight-string bass
    BC - Even if you're not a jazz fan, this straight-ahead Sonny Rollins classic gets you boppin'. Fun to play and listen to.
      JG - This tune was Billy's idea, and helps to demonstrate that Wang Dang has no musical boundaries.
  2. Mercury Blues (K.C. Douglas/R.L. Geddins)
    Billy - National Estralita Conception wood body, lead vocal
    Jeff - Hondo eight-string bass
    BC - It really makes you want to buy a Mercury and cruise it up and down the road. No, really!
      JG - A great tune and energetic showcase for us. A great Billy vocal too!
  3. Soul Serenade (C. Ousley/L. Dixon)
    Billy - National Baritone Polychrome Tricone
    Jeff - Hondo eight-string bass, lead vocal
    BC - Man, this is one of my favorite tunes to play and the sax - I mean the National Baritone - just loves this King Curtis groove.
      JG - I used to play this with guitarist Bobby Nathan, who ran the longest running pro-jam session in NYC.
  4. Bang A Gong (Get It On) (M. Feld)
    Billy - National Baritone Polychrome Tricone, background vocals
    Jeff - Hondo eight-string bass, lead vocal, background vocals
    Adam Boyko - Background vocals
    Jesse Courtman - Background vocals
    BC -The kids sound great. So does Jeff.
      JG - I wanted to do tunes that I liked that no one would expect to hear in the Wang Dang context; this was one of the first.
  5. White Summer (J. Page)
    Jeff - Yamaha Piccolo Bass
    BC - A jaw-dropping instrumental by Jeff that never fails to leave me agog and aghast when he performs it live.
      JG - Hearing Jimmy Page do this in Central Park, in New York City, with Led Zeppelin in 1969 was a life-altering experience; this is my personal tribute to that concert.
  6. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (B. Dylan)
    Billy - National Baritone Polychrome Tricone, lead vocal
    Jeff - Hondo eight-string bass
    BC - How do you make your favorite Dylan tune better? You can't; you just hope to do it justice.
      JG - This is one of my favorite moments on our CD. Billy does a tremendous job on this classic.
  7. Time Is Tight (Jones/Cropper/Dunn/Jackson)
    Billy - National Baritone Polychrome Tricone, lead vocal
    Jeff - Hondo eight-string bass       Download -->
    BC - This is another one of those tunes that lives in the back of your unconscious. It's a perfect example of what we do best; perform songs that you would never associate with our instrumentation.
      JG - I wanted to replicate the great Steve Cropper guitar parts and the serious feel of this 1968 Booker T. recording, even without drums.
  8. Gin Soaked Boy (T. Waits)
    Billy - National Model "D" Wood Body
    Jeff - Kay five-string upright bass, lead vocal
    BC -Ya gotta love Tom Waits, if just for this automatic blues classic. The Model "D" National gets a playful dobro sound against Jeff's upright.
      JG - A great tune I played with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes which really works well in the Wang Dang environment.
  9. Chameleon (H. Hancock/P. Jackson/B. Maupin)
    Billy - National Baritone Polychrome Tricone
    Jeff - Hondo eight-string bass
    BC - Another of those tunes that you wouldn't expect to hear with this instrumentation, and a real fingernail buster. Oh, what we do for love!
      JG - I thought it would be absurd to try this fusion chestnut with our duo, but the challenge turned out to be worth it. Billy played great on this, and threw in some cool surprises at mix time.
  10. Monkey Around (D. McClinton/G. Nicholson)
    Billy - National Resolectric, background vocals
    Jeff - Hondo eight-string bass, lead vocals
    BC - A cool Delbert McClinton song that, for some reason, kids really dig.
      JG - The great harmonica player and vocalist Rob Paparozzi turned me on to this roadhouse rocker.
  11. Resta Cum Me (Verde/Modugno/Gabler)
    Billy - National Baritone Polychrome Tricone
    BC - Kind of an impressionist painting of a Domenico Modugno tune that I was introduced to by the wonderful Italian singer Natalie Pinto, whose album I produced.
      JG - This puts Billy on the map as far as showing what the National Baritone is capable of in the right hands. Fearless and intense!
Listen to soundclips and purchase