Tenor saxophonist Harry Allen can evoke Lester Young disciples like Stan Getz or Zoot Sims one minute and the heavier swing-era tenorists the next. On his latest release, Allen’s sound and articulation lean toward the aggressive end of the scale, although...
Because Eddie Daniels had relocated to New Mexico from his native New York City years ago, his 2006 engagement at New York’s Iridium was indeed a homecoming. He had given up his tenor saxophone to become one of the premier jazz clarinetists of all time...
Dutch saxophonist Tineke Postma’s first two albums were well received and this one promises a similar reception. The program consists entirely of her compositions, except for two by Duke Ellington and one by Billy Strayhorn. Her originals exhibit an up-to...
When veteran trumpeter-bandleader Maynard Fergu-son entered the recording studio in July 2006 with a stellar group of Big Bop Nouveau Band alumni, he had no idea he would be making his final album. Ferguson was unaware that he was ill, and his death the...
Chicago-based musician-educator Bob Lark is a fine mainstream modern trumpeter-flugelhornist with three well-received albums to his credit. His fourth finds him in the company of three top-notch, like-minded Chicago colleagues and a well-known former Chicagoan...
The International Sweet-hearts of Rhythm was a pioneering all-female swing band in the late 1930s and 1940s. The all-woman Kit McClure Band faithfully re-created some of the Sweethearts’ original arrangements, most by Maurice King of later Motown fame, on...
Eleven out of the 16 musicians on this live recording by the Taylor/Fidyk Big Band are members of the U.S. Army Blues, including co-leader and drummer Steve Fidyk. The Blues is an outstanding group in its own right, and the added presence of local D.C.-area...
Any aficionado of muscular big-band music should be thrilled by this two-CD set, but Stan Kenton fans will be overjoyed. The 15 tracks, most previously released, are the product of 10 aggregations, from English, Canadian and Belgian ensembles to regional...
Bob Brookmeyer doesn’t write conventional big-band “charts.” Instead, he composes sophisticated, creative works for jazz orchestra that fuse traditional big-band techniques with elements from the broader musical landscape. Yet as advanced as Brookmeyer’s...
This was a labor of love for Richie Cole, whose wife Risë had passed away not long before the session took place. Her rose garden was where they often retreated. The small band of two saxophones, one or two trumpets, trombone and rhythm section went into...
Although the Columbus Jazz Orchestra has recorded four albums under founder Ray Eubanks, this is their first under present director Byron Stripling, whose wide-ranging credits include having played lead trumpet with the Count Basie Orchestra. Consisting...
You may not have heard of Jack Cortner, but you’ve probably heard his music. He wrote theme music for The Edge of Night and As The World Turns, but if you’re not into soap operas, you may have heard his arrangement of the theme for Monday Night Football...
Drummer Gerry Gibbs is the son of the famous vibist-bandleader Terry Gibbs, and like his dad, fronts an exciting big band. His is composed of superior players from San Antonio and Austin, Texas. In this live recording, the band performs a varied set of charts...
Tiger by the Tail has it all: inspired arrangements, sharp ensemble playing, swinging, inventive soloists and a cooking rhythm section. Pianist-composer-arranger George Gruntz has assembled many excellent big bands over the years and this is a fine one...
It’s a shame the sound is so poor on this live recording by saxophonist-composer Karlton Hester’s northern California big band, since the performance was obviously relished by the audience. But often it’s impossible to hear the inner parts, which along with...
The hr-Bigband, an arm of Hessian Radio (Hessischer Rundfunk), located in the German state of Hesse, is a superb group of musicians who know how to play together and improvise at a very high level. Their recordings often involve famous Americans, and Once...
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