4 Chicago bandleader/broadcaster John Burnett has switched labels on his second album in the past eight years, but the sound and personnel are very much as they were on his Swingin’ in the Windy City CD in 2000, reminiscent of the Basie Band and its contemporaries during the ’50s. The resemblance grows a little too close for comfort when the Burnett Swingers reprise the Count’s famed “April in Paris” chart and trumpeter Terry Connell reproduces Thad Jones’ “Pop Goes the Weasel” shtick note-for-note at the top of his solo. Guess that’s the result of critics not crying foul when the Ella and Basie chart for “’Deed I Do” was swiped for the Windy City album. Vocalist Frieda Lee doesn’t sound nearly as velvety now on the innocuous “Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere,” but she can share the blame for the shortcomings of “Ten Cents a Dance” with Burnett, who prods the tempo too fast for the lyric and misses the drama. More fun is the Satchmo imitation by trumpeter Tony Pons on “Hello, Dolly,” where I suspect guitarist John Moran has picked up a banjo in the background, and plenty of space is set aside for solos by Bryant Scott on trombone, Bob Frankich on clarinet, and special guest Randy Sandke. Sandke graciously perks up six other tracks on this live recording at Fitzgerald’s with his mercurial trumpet stylings, most notably “Night in Tunisia,” “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue” and “Little Jazz Boogie.” Ensemble sound is consistently strong and vividly engineered. Altoist Nick Mazarella is the most consistent soloist in the brash sax section, nicely counterbalancing Mark Burnell’s light Basie-ish touch at the keyboard. true 11252 2009-04-20T14:50:12-04:00 false 24670 174 true 63 2009-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Chicago bandleader/broadcaster John Burnett has switched labels on his second album in the past eight years, but the sound and personnel are very much as they were on his Swingin’ in the Windy City CD in 2000, reminiscent of the Basie Band and its contemporaries during the ’50s. The resemblance grows a little too close for comfort when the Burnett Swingers reprise the Count’s famed “April in Paris” chart and trumpeter Terry Connell reproduces Thad Jones’ “Pop Goes the Weasel” shtick note-for-note at the top of his solo. Guess that’s the result of critics not crying foul when the Ella and Basie chart for “’Deed I Do” was swiped for the Windy City album. Vocalist Frieda Lee doesn’t sound nearly as velvety now on the innocuous “Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere,” but she can share the blame for the shortcomings of “Ten Cents a Dance” with Burnett, who prods the tempo too fast for the lyric and misses the drama. More fun is the Satchmo imitation by trumpeter Tony Pons on “Hello, Dolly,” where I suspect guitarist John Moran has picked up a banjo in the background, and plenty of space is set aside for solos by Bryant Scott on trombone, Bob Frankich on clarinet, and special guest Randy Sandke. Sandke graciously perks up six other tracks on this live recording at Fitzgerald’s with his mercurial trumpet stylings, most notably “Night in Tunisia,” “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue” and “Little Jazz Boogie.” Ensemble sound is consistently strong and vividly engineered. Altoist Nick Mazarella is the most consistent soloist in...

2009-04-23T11:43:17-04:00

4 Trombonist Brent Wallarab is a truly wondrous arranger, and together with trumpet/flugelhorn ace Mark Buselli, he co-leads a 12-piece band that wraps itself around each of his charts with luscious liquefaction. The B-W bandstand is also graced with half a dozen compelling soloists. Aside from the leaders, Mike Stricklin on soprano sax (“This Can’t Be Love”), Rob Dixon on tenor (“My Foolish Heart”), Tom Meyer on bari (“Watch What Happens”), and Luke Gillespie on piano (“Avalon”) are all concise eloquence. Unfortunately, the ensemble must also wrap itself around the variable vocals of Everett Greene and Cynthia Layne on 11 of the 13 tracks. After a remarkable recording debut at age 64 a decade ago, the bloom has departed from Greene’s voice, particularly at the lower end where he once evoked pleasanter memories of Billy Eckstine. The top is holding up better with new hints of Joe Williams, but Greene is best on “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” and “My Funny Valentine,” where the laryngeal weathering is a subtle asset. Layne has a far fresher instrument, but its loveliness is tentatively lavished on “L-O-V-E” and “Avalon” with an unyielding grip on the beat. “Teach Me Tonight,” the single Buselli chart here, confirms the vast potential that the pop chanteuse has when she lets go and lets loose. true 11252 2009-04-20T14:51:12-04:00 false 24671 174 true 63 2009-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Trombonist Brent Wallarab is a truly wondrous arranger, and together with trumpet/flugelhorn ace Mark Buselli, he co-leads a 12-piece band that wraps itself around each of his charts with luscious liquefaction. The B-W bandstand is also graced with half a dozen compelling soloists. Aside from the leaders, Mike Stricklin on soprano sax (“This Can’t Be Love”), Rob Dixon on tenor (“My Foolish Heart”), Tom Meyer on bari (“Watch What Happens”), and Luke Gillespie on piano (“Avalon”) are all concise eloquence. Unfortunately, the ensemble must also wrap itself around the variable vocals of Everett Greene and Cynthia Layne on 11 of the 13 tracks. After a remarkable recording debut at age 64 a decade ago, the bloom has departed from Greene’s voice, particularly at the lower end where he once evoked pleasanter memories of Billy Eckstine. The top is holding up better with new hints of Joe Williams, but Greene is best on “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” and “My Funny Valentine,” where the laryngeal weathering is a subtle asset. Layne has a far fresher instrument, but its loveliness is tentatively lavished on “L-O-V-E” and “Avalon” with an unyielding grip on the beat. “Teach Me Tonight,” the single Buselli chart here, confirms the vast potential that the pop chanteuse has when she lets go and lets loose.

2009-04-23T11:43:04-04:00

4 With exquisite textures and evocative arrangements that recall Gil Evans, and an Ellingtonian balance between ensemble and individual excellence, Mike Holober and his 17-piece Gotham Jazz Orchestra have evolved a special synthesis. This latest collection brings us four Holober originals, a makeover of “Roc & a Soft Space” (which appeared in quartet form on his Canyon in 2003), and two audacious covers, “Here Comes the Sun” from the Beatles’ songbook and the Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday.” Neither of these rock standards sounds at all crass or commercial as Holober & Co. work them over. Reeds, muted trumpets and Holober at the piano set up a drizzly launching pad in the George Harrison tune before the mutes come off and Dave Pietro blazes into a fiery alto peroration. At nine minutes, this meditation is a full four minutes shorter than the exploration of the Keith Richards-Mick Jagger line, featuring a relatively placid trombone solo from Mark Patterson, Tim Ries swinging hard on tenor, and guitarist Steve Cardenas turning on the distortion halfway through his stint at about the 11-minute mark. All the originals are superb, with the title tune and the slow waltzing “Thrushes” sporting the most fascinating colors. Holober has his own definition of “quake”: the sound of autumn leaves rustling in the wind. That quietly surprising individualism and beauty are never absent for long. true 11252 2009-04-20T14:52:01-04:00 false 24672 174 true 63 2009-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Beatles, Stones and originals get the big band treatment

2009-05-22T16:41:31-04:00

4 As we all get set to mark the controversial bandleader’s 30th death-a-versary, new Stan Kenton recordings are still seeing the light. This live recording, recorded at the Moonlight Gardens in June 1967, isn’t merely a low-fi exhumation. For the most part, presence and vividness are astonishing, and the musicians negotiate a fine set of arrangements with spirit and finesse. The orchestral swells lavished upon “I Will Wait for You” and “The Shadow of Your Smile,” both arranged by Kenton bassist Bill Fritz, and “It Was a Very Good Year,” arranged by Kenton, add a little unexpected luster to those ’60s relics. None of the big names who played with Kenton are on hand here, but the small circle of featured soloists are all capable, particularly Alan Rowe on tenor (“The Singing Oyster”), Jay Daversa on trumpet (“Limehouse Blues”), and Ray Reed on alto (“My Ship”). Reed’s wailing solos make you wish Charlie Parker had the benefit of Kenton’s backup. Some audience kibitzers occasionally intrude, and when Daversa plays muted trumpet, he sounds marooned. So does Kenton on “Stompin’ at the Savoy.” But the leader is better miked for an unusually barrelhouse reading of “The Blues Story,” and his intro to “Taboo Montuna” is picante piano. true 11252 2009-04-20T14:52:45-04:00 false 24673 174 true 63 2009-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

A lustrous ‘60s relic sees the light of day

2009-05-06T09:51:15-04:00

4 Pump up the volume! This debut CD packs enough brassy testosterone to heat up your subwoofer, thump your floorboards, scatter your pets and cause neighbors or idle passersby to gnash their teeth. Bandleader Joe Murphy has plenty bravado, exhorting band directors in his booklet notes to teach their students to move air, claiming that his own LOUD MouthpiecesTM will help do the job. Behind the brashness, there is also some high-octane musicianship. Murphy proves to be a winsome, resourceful arranger when you listen to his charts through headphones and the walls of your living room aren’t blurred. His virtuosity on tuba transforms it into a viable solo instrument on Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” and Maynard Ferguson’s “Give It One,” nearly equaling the élan of a trombone. Although Steve Patrick figures prominently in the scoring on high lead trumpet, he only solos on that Ferguson opener and on the iconic Zawinul “Birdland” finale. In between, the less stratospheric Mike Casteel shows himself to be the abler improviser, smuggling a mute into the studio for his solo on “Foreign Correspondent.” Ron Gilmore also provides welcome relief from decibel barrage, soloing on four different keyboards, including a B3, a Kong Trinity, and a Wurlitzer. Adam Agati adds welcome color on guitar, softening the soundfield on Chick Corea’s “La Fiesta,” on which Gilmore plays Fender Rhodes. So One for Maynard isn’t a non-stop screech-a-thon. But it isn’t one for soft lights, bedrooms or girlfriends lacking steely embouchures. true 11252 2009-04-20T14:53:26-04:00 false 24674 174 true 63 2009-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Pump up the volume! This debut CD packs enough brassy testosterone to heat up your subwoofer, thump your floorboards, scatter your pets and cause neighbors or idle passersby to gnash their teeth. Bandleader Joe Murphy has plenty bravado, exhorting band directors in his booklet notes to teach their students to move air, claiming that his own LOUD MouthpiecesTM will help do the job. Behind the brashness, there is also some high-octane musicianship. Murphy proves to be a winsome, resourceful arranger when you listen to his charts through headphones and the walls of your living room aren’t blurred. His virtuosity on tuba transforms it into a viable solo instrument on Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” and Maynard Ferguson’s “Give It One,” nearly equaling the élan of a trombone. Although Steve Patrick figures prominently in the scoring on high lead trumpet, he only solos on that Ferguson opener and on the iconic Zawinul “Birdland” finale. In between, the less stratospheric Mike Casteel shows himself to be the abler improviser, smuggling a mute into the studio for his solo on “Foreign Correspondent.” Ron Gilmore also provides welcome relief from decibel barrage, soloing on four different keyboards, including a B3, a Kong Trinity, and a Wurlitzer. Adam Agati adds welcome color on guitar, softening the soundfield on Chick Corea’s “La Fiesta,” on which Gilmore plays Fender Rhodes. So One for Maynard isn’t a non-stop screech-a-thon. But it isn’t one for soft lights, bedrooms or girlfriends lacking steely embouchures.

2009-04-23T11:42:18-04:00

4 If the Loudhorns are poised to go without sax, then reed fanatic Frank Macchia is willing to kiss his brass goodbye to achieve his muscular Saxolollapalooza sound. The project began in 1990 after Macchia bought himself a bass saxophone and had the notion to craft arrangements for two altos, two tenors, a bari and his anchoring bass, plus drums. Once he had recorded some demos, the wild concept, dubbed “a sax section on steroids” in Cacophony’s PR kit, steeped in Macchia’s attic for the better part of 18 years. Seven of the 12 arrangements on this CD are from that original stash. Along with a soprano sax wielded by altoist Eric Marienthal, numerous clarinets, flutes and piccolo enrich the instrumental palette. We ease into this set with Benny Goodman’s “Air Mail Special” as Peter Erskine on drums lays down a hip-hop beat. Then we head to the Delta with “Down by the Riverside,” on which solos by Marienthal on alto, Bob Sheppard on tenor, and Sal Lozano on alto spice up the second line groove. “My One and Only Love” provides an oasis of quiet, Gene Cipriano taking the bari solo, before we embark on “Caravan” with Jay Mason’s bass sax solo capturing a little of the Juan Tizol timbre. Watch out here for Macchia’s biting tenor, and Peter Erskine’s congas. Only a couple of gripes. The piccolo cutesiness of “Java” outstays its welcome, and the infectious “Shortening Bread” shuffle needed more time to rise. true 11252 2009-04-20T14:54:24-04:00 false 24675 174 true 63 2009-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

If the Loudhorns are poised to go without sax, then reed fanatic Frank Macchia is willing to kiss his brass goodbye to achieve his muscular Saxolollapalooza sound. The project began in 1990 after Macchia bought himself a bass saxophone and had the notion to craft arrangements for two altos, two tenors, a bari and his anchoring bass, plus drums. Once he had recorded some demos, the wild concept, dubbed “a sax section on steroids” in Cacophony’s PR kit, steeped in Macchia’s attic for the better part of 18 years. Seven of the 12 arrangements on this CD are from that original stash. Along with a soprano sax wielded by altoist Eric Marienthal, numerous clarinets, flutes and piccolo enrich the instrumental palette. We ease into this set with Benny Goodman’s “Air Mail Special” as Peter Erskine on drums lays down a hip-hop beat. Then we head to the Delta with “Down by the Riverside,” on which solos by Marienthal on alto, Bob Sheppard on tenor, and Sal Lozano on alto spice up the second line groove. “My One and Only Love” provides an oasis of quiet, Gene Cipriano taking the bari solo, before we embark on “Caravan” with Jay Mason’s bass sax solo capturing a little of the Juan Tizol timbre. Watch out here for Macchia’s biting tenor, and Peter Erskine’s congas. Only a couple of gripes. The piccolo cutesiness of “Java” outstays its welcome, and the infectious “Shortening Bread” shuffle needed more time to rise.

2009-04-23T11:42:02-04:00

4 After his Two Men With the Blues summit meeting with Wynton Marsalis, this hookup with Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel represents something of a U-turn in Willie Nelson’s long, rambling career, from nearly pure jazz back to Western swing. Having been stablemates when Nelson recorded on the Atlantic label in the early ’70s (where the late Jerry Wexler first conceived this album), and having bunked together, along with Merle Haggard, on the Last of the Breed tour in 2007, the headliners are supremely comfortable with each other. Benson and his genial band are more comfortable with the music. Nelson is admirably on the beat for “Hesitation Blues” and “Bring It on Down to My House,” but he lags precipitously behind on “Sweet Jennie Lee” while Asleep’s backup singers remain nonchalantly on track, and he pretty much falls off “Won’t You Ride in My Little Red Wagon.” Benson carries his share of the vocal burdens with a rusticated charm, most memorably on “Oh! You Pretty Woman.” That’s where Elizabeth McQueen makes her discreet entrance, feminizing the backup vocal, a mere prelude to the cowgirl tension she brings to her bluesy duet with Nelson on “I’m Sittin’ on Top of the World.” Eddie Rivers on steel guitar and Jason Roberts on fiddle are the most frequent soloists, with Paul (Letterman) Shaffer and guitarist Vince Gill peeping in the studio for “South,” the one pure instrumental on the playlist. true 11252 2009-04-20T14:55:26-04:00 false 24676 174 true 63 2009-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Western swing is alive and well

2009-04-24T09:07:37-04:00

4 Directed by bassist Chuck Bergeron, SFJO is already keeping some swanky company on its debut CD, including cameos by Arturo Sandoval, Ed Calle, Charles Pillow and Kevin Mahogany. Not at all surprising when you consider that the band was incubated at Arturo’s Jazz Club in Miami Beach. Sandoval’s dazzling virtuosity brightens “Blues Gumbo,” the opening track, but it’s clear that the regulars bring plenty to the table with composer/reedman Gary Lindsay’s propulsive arrangement and tasty solos by Mike Brignola on bari and pianist Brian Murphy. Bergeron’s composing and arranging skills are no less imposing on the ensuing “Role Models,” ushered in by Brignola’s bass clarinet and John Yarling’s cymbals, and slowly brought to a ferocious boil by Pillow on soprano, prodded by Yarling. Mahogany absolutely revels in Bergeron’s swinging arrangement of “Nature Boy,” on which Gary Keller takes a fine tenor solo between the vocal bookends, without upstaging the full ensemble following in his wake. Calle turns up late in the set with a burning tenor solo on “This Can’t Be Love,” sung by guest artist Dana Paul with a tangy patch of vocalese in unison with the saxes. The only blemish on the album is guest vocalist Nicole Yarling’s quavery treatment of “Blame It on My Youth,” but amid a mellow trombone solo by Dante Luciani, she acquits herself creditably on violin. true 11252 2009-04-20T14:56:08-04:00 false 24677 174 true 63 2009-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Directed by bassist Chuck Bergeron, SFJO is already keeping some swanky company on its debut CD, including cameos by Arturo Sandoval, Ed Calle, Charles Pillow and Kevin Mahogany. Not at all surprising when you consider that the band was incubated at Arturo’s Jazz Club in Miami Beach. Sandoval’s dazzling virtuosity brightens “Blues Gumbo,” the opening track, but it’s clear that the regulars bring plenty to the table with composer/reedman Gary Lindsay’s propulsive arrangement and tasty solos by Mike Brignola on bari and pianist Brian Murphy. Bergeron’s composing and arranging skills are no less imposing on the ensuing “Role Models,” ushered in by Brignola’s bass clarinet and John Yarling’s cymbals, and slowly brought to a ferocious boil by Pillow on soprano, prodded by Yarling. Mahogany absolutely revels in Bergeron’s swinging arrangement of “Nature Boy,” on which Gary Keller takes a fine tenor solo between the vocal bookends, without upstaging the full ensemble following in his wake. Calle turns up late in the set with a burning tenor solo on “This Can’t Be Love,” sung by guest artist Dana Paul with a tangy patch of vocalese in unison with the saxes. The only blemish on the album is guest vocalist Nicole Yarling’s quavery treatment of “Blame It on My Youth,” but amid a mellow trombone solo by Dante Luciani, she acquits herself creditably on violin.

2009-04-23T11:41:34-04:00

4 How young is too young when it comes to exposing your youngsters to jazz? According to the producers of this album, a Bay Area couple with a one-year-old daughter, and the arranger, Doug Beavers Rovira, apparently if you can play or sing nursery rhymes to your toddler, you can begin the jazz indoctrination. Enter Matt Catingub and Linda Harmon to sing and swing them, accompanied by a 21-piece band filled with L.A. and San Francisco players, and gestation (from conception to mastering) took a nervous three years. The whole project is first-class because of Rovira’s arrangements and the singers heard on all 11 tracks: Catingub is well-known as the Big Kahuna arranger-conductor, but his hip, Bobby Darin style of singing is in his genes: his mom was the great, but under-appreciated Mavis Rivers. Harmon has been heard more than seen, singing on TV and in movies since ’79, often uncredited. The singers constantly modulate (in deference to attention deficit?); the band swings mightily; soloists shine: trumpeter Mike Olmos, tenorist Sheldon Brown, altoist Alex Budman and guest percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo. true 160 2008-06-20T18:30:46-04:00 false 18630 121 200802 true 63 2008-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

How young is too young when it comes to exposing your youngsters to jazz? According to the producers of this album, a Bay Area couple with a one-year-old daughter, and the arranger, Doug Beavers Rovira, apparently if you can play or sing nursery rhymes to your toddler, you can begin the jazz indoctrination. Enter Matt Catingub and Linda Harmon to sing and swing them, accompanied by a 21-piece band filled with L.A. and San Francisco players, and gestation (from conception to mastering) took a nervous three years. The whole project is first-class because of Rovira’s arrangements and the singers heard on all 11 tracks: Catingub is well-known as the Big Kahuna arranger-conductor, but his hip, Bobby Darin style of singing is in his genes: his mom was the great, but under-appreciated Mavis Rivers. Harmon has been heard more than seen, singing on TV and in movies since ’79, often uncredited. The singers constantly modulate (in deference to attention deficit?); the band swings mightily; soloists shine: trumpeter Mike Olmos, tenorist Sheldon Brown, altoist Alex Budman and guest percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo.

2009-03-02T00:26:34-05:00

4 Leaders of ghost bands are literally haunted by past sounds. Fans, steeped in nostalgia, expect to hear Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, etc., come alive with arrangements, and sometimes solos, intact. Don’t count on the leader of today’s Gene Krupa band to resurrect yesterday. Once Michael Berkowitz secured the rights to the Krupa book in 2004, he went his own way, and now that the new/old band has made its recording debut, I like Mike’s way. It’s a highly responsive, 17-piece band, plus singer Annette Sanders, boasting an updated book with occasional nods to its inspiration. With powerhouse drummer Berkowitz pushing the band, highlights include two way-up showcases: “Wire Brush Stomp” for brush technique; “Lover” for sticks. For the band: a laid-back, tantalizing “Tuxedo Junction” with a fine tenorist who might be Mike Tomaro (credits are conspicuous by their absence); and “Rockin’ Chair” that includes a “thank you” to Roy Eldridge by trumpeter Steve Hawk. Vocalist Sanders is generally wasted, but shines on “Opus One” and particularly on “Thinking of Gene”—mostly wordless, yet provocative through her lips. true 160 2008-06-20T18:35:57-04:00 false 18633 121 200802 true 63 2008-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Leaders of ghost bands are literally haunted by past sounds. Fans, steeped in nostalgia, expect to hear Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, etc., come alive with arrangements, and sometimes solos, intact. Don’t count on the leader of today’s Gene Krupa band to resurrect yesterday. Once Michael Berkowitz secured the rights to the Krupa book in 2004, he went his own way, and now that the new/old band has made its recording debut, I like Mike’s way. It’s a highly responsive, 17-piece band, plus singer Annette Sanders, boasting an updated book with occasional nods to its inspiration. With powerhouse drummer Berkowitz pushing the band, highlights include two way-up showcases: “Wire Brush Stomp” for brush technique; “Lover” for sticks. For the band: a laid-back, tantalizing “Tuxedo Junction” with a fine tenorist who might be Mike Tomaro (credits are conspicuous by their absence); and “Rockin’ Chair” that includes a “thank you” to Roy Eldridge by trumpeter Steve Hawk. Vocalist Sanders is generally wasted, but shines on “Opus One” and particularly on “Thinking of Gene”—mostly wordless, yet provocative through her lips.

2009-03-02T00:26:34-05:00

4 How do you make a small band sound like a big band? Call Dr. Bruce Eskovitz, an imaginative arranger who can splash color over his scores. He also knows the right five players who can double on their horns to bring those colors to swinging life. Add the same number of pulsating rhythm players and you have Eskovitz’s second exciting “big” band album, over an hour of hard-swinging, straight-ahead, good-time modern jazz. It begins with pianist Mark Balling making like 10 trumpeters announcing a fanfare for the exhilarating samba, “Breakthrough,” and ends in church with the gospel-flavored “One Last Time” as bassist Adam Cohen and Balling, on organ, provide a sacred cushion for the impassioned pleas of tenorist Eskovitz and trumpeter Larry Williams. Between those two Eskovitz originals, the most exciting high point is “Latin Fever.” Encouraged by Balling’s montuno, trumpeters Williams and Jeff Jarvis engage in a feverish conversation, conjuring up enough grease to slide the whole session to Spanish Harlem. Not to be overlooked, Eskovitz’s solo skills: equally at home in the hard-edged baritone range, he can use his high tenor range to coax a cautious reaction to the sign, “Detour Ahead.” true 160 2008-06-20T18:59:32-04:00 false 18648 121 200802 true 63 2008-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

How do you make a small band sound like a big band? Call Dr. Bruce Eskovitz, an imaginative arranger who can splash color over his scores. He also knows the right five players who can double on their horns to bring those colors to swinging life. Add the same number of pulsating rhythm players and you have Eskovitz’s second exciting “big” band album, over an hour of hard-swinging, straight-ahead, good-time modern jazz. It begins with pianist Mark Balling making like 10 trumpeters announcing a fanfare for the exhilarating samba, “Breakthrough,” and ends in church with the gospel-flavored “One Last Time” as bassist Adam Cohen and Balling, on organ, provide a sacred cushion for the impassioned pleas of tenorist Eskovitz and trumpeter Larry Williams. Between those two Eskovitz originals, the most exciting high point is “Latin Fever.” Encouraged by Balling’s montuno, trumpeters Williams and Jeff Jarvis engage in a feverish conversation, conjuring up enough grease to slide the whole session to Spanish Harlem. Not to be overlooked, Eskovitz’s solo skills: equally at home in the hard-edged baritone range, he can use his high tenor range to coax a cautious reaction to the sign, “Detour Ahead.”

2009-03-02T00:26:34-05:00

4 Call it retro swing; call it two-beat; call it corny. Or be honest and call it successful. George Gee, reputedly the only Chinese-American bandleader in the business, keeps his guys working. If they stay at or near home (they’re based in New York City), the book calls for 17 sidemen; when they travel, it becomes a compact, economically feasible, 10-man package. The formula has worked for 27 years, and produced eight albums. Gee, a diminutive bundle of energy who began his career as a bassist, is now out front, adding his personality to the jiving and jumping. This latest collection of jive, jump and wails is locked in to a metronome marking of “moderately fast,” aimed at his dancing fan base. Only one ballad affords a respite: “It Had to Be You,” sung by the smooth stylist Carla Cook. The other dozen tracks, arranged mostly by Walt Szymanski, have the ’30s and ’40s flavor, if not the intensity, of Benny Goodman and Gee’s idol, Count Basie. Among soloists, the most enjoyable are clarinetist Dan Block and trumpeter Szymanski, along with pianist Steve Einerson, who contributes his best solo on an Eddie Sauter line, “All the Cats Join In.” true 160 2008-06-20T19:01:39-04:00 false 18650 121 200802 true 63 2008-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Call it retro swing; call it two-beat; call it corny. Or be honest and call it successful. George Gee, reputedly the only Chinese-American bandleader in the business, keeps his guys working. If they stay at or near home (they’re based in New York City), the book calls for 17 sidemen; when they travel, it becomes a compact, economically feasible, 10-man package. The formula has worked for 27 years, and produced eight albums. Gee, a diminutive bundle of energy who began his career as a bassist, is now out front, adding his personality to the jiving and jumping. This latest collection of jive, jump and wails is locked in to a metronome marking of “moderately fast,” aimed at his dancing fan base. Only one ballad affords a respite: “It Had to Be You,” sung by the smooth stylist Carla Cook. The other dozen tracks, arranged mostly by Walt Szymanski, have the ’30s and ’40s flavor, if not the intensity, of Benny Goodman and Gee’s idol, Count Basie. Among soloists, the most enjoyable are clarinetist Dan Block and trumpeter Szymanski, along with pianist Steve Einerson, who contributes his best solo on an Eddie Sauter line, “All the Cats Join In.”

2009-03-02T00:26:34-05:00

4 A fascinating experiment in fusion is happening in the Apple involving the 50-piece Gotham Wind Symphony. It has released its second CD, reinforced by the 21-piece LaGuardia High School Jazz Orchestra. The added weight tends to exacerbate the main problem facing the GWS: ponderousness. Of the four composers represented on the new CD, Thad Jones and James Chirillo used just the GWS. Jones had no choice; his “Northwest Suite” was commissioned in 1984. Relying on clarinets where strings might have been employed, Jones wraps their impressionistic warmth around a lovely but all-too-brief oboe solo by Lynn Cohen. When Jones tries to swing, he confronts “the problem” of trying to lift an elephant despite drummer John Hollenbeck’s heroic efforts. Composer Chirillo is more successful with “Prelude to a Minor Sensitivity,” cleverly based on fragments from Jobim’s “How Insensitive.” Melodic suggestions, and some harmonic changes, can be heard preserving Jobim’s descending roots. Chirillo’s development of the material is truly symphonic. Scott Robinson’s “Eventuations” evokes John Cage in its bits-and-pieces-vs.-tonality approach. Generally unmusical effects, not counting Holober’s clavioline solos (an electronic keyboard affixed to Mike’s piano keyboard). Kudos to LaGuardia’s young players and their director, Kevin Blancq. Holober’s suite, “Road Trip,” is a swinging Americana nod to Aaron Copland, with a humorous highlight, “Swamp Stomp,” filled with calls-and-responses: the calls coming eloquently from altoist Dave Pietro, the responses by the cast of thousands. true 160 2008-06-20T19:02:59-04:00 false 18651 121 200802 true 63 2008-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

A fascinating experiment in fusion is happening in the Apple involving the 50-piece Gotham Wind Symphony. It has released its second CD, reinforced by the 21-piece LaGuardia High School Jazz Orchestra. The added weight tends to exacerbate the main problem facing the GWS: ponderousness. Of the four composers represented on the new CD, Thad Jones and James Chirillo used just the GWS. Jones had no choice; his “Northwest Suite” was commissioned in 1984. Relying on clarinets where strings might have been employed, Jones wraps their impressionistic warmth around a lovely but all-too-brief oboe solo by Lynn Cohen. When Jones tries to swing, he confronts “the problem” of trying to lift an elephant despite drummer John Hollenbeck’s heroic efforts. Composer Chirillo is more successful with “Prelude to a Minor Sensitivity,” cleverly based on fragments from Jobim’s “How Insensitive.” Melodic suggestions, and some harmonic changes, can be heard preserving Jobim’s descending roots. Chirillo’s development of the material is truly symphonic. Scott Robinson’s “Eventuations” evokes John Cage in its bits-and-pieces-vs.-tonality approach. Generally unmusical effects, not counting Holober’s clavioline solos (an electronic keyboard affixed to Mike’s piano keyboard). Kudos to LaGuardia’s young players and their director, Kevin Blancq. Holober’s suite, “Road Trip,” is a swinging Americana nod to Aaron Copland, with a humorous highlight, “Swamp Stomp,” filled with calls-and-responses: the calls coming eloquently from altoist Dave Pietro, the responses by the cast of thousands.

2009-03-02T00:26:34-05:00

4 Two years ago Belgian composer/trumpeter Bert Joris received a commission to write two extended works plus two shorter pieces for the BJO and the Philharmonic. He rose to the challenge eloquently, also serving as main soloist for the four works premiered in Antwerp, Belgium, in 2006. Joris took the logical path for his solo playing. At no time was he required to adopt so-called “legitimate phrasing.” Nor was the Jazz Orchestra. Conversely, members of the Philharmonic were not called on to swing. They are disparate ensembles, functioning in two different worlds. As studio players often comment, “It all depends on how you phrase eighth notes.” Joris solved the gap in concepts by juxtaposing, rather than integrating, swing with classical. The closest instance of integration occurs on “Alone At Last,” one of the two short works, which features Joris’ most memorable soloing. When the large string section played legato, the BJO rhythm section managed to insert a rhythmic line. As for Joris’ compositional skills, his romantic writing and orchestrating would serve him well as a film scorer. true 160 2008-06-20T19:05:19-04:00 false 18653 121 200802 true 63 2008-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Two years ago Belgian composer/trumpeter Bert Joris received a commission to write two extended works plus two shorter pieces for the BJO and the Philharmonic. He rose to the challenge eloquently, also serving as main soloist for the four works premiered in Antwerp, Belgium, in 2006. Joris took the logical path for his solo playing. At no time was he required to adopt so-called “legitimate phrasing.” Nor was the Jazz Orchestra. Conversely, members of the Philharmonic were not called on to swing. They are disparate ensembles, functioning in two different worlds. As studio players often comment, “It all depends on how you phrase eighth notes.” Joris solved the gap in concepts by juxtaposing, rather than integrating, swing with classical. The closest instance of integration occurs on “Alone At Last,” one of the two short works, which features Joris’ most memorable soloing. When the large string section played legato, the BJO rhythm section managed to insert a rhythmic line. As for Joris’ compositional skills, his romantic writing and orchestrating would serve him well as a film scorer.

2009-03-02T00:26:34-05:00

4 The Philadelphia area is blessed by the professional and amateur musicians of the Jump City Jazz Orchestra. They rehearse weekly and perform twice a month. That’s not merely a statement; it’s also a caveat. Their second CD, recorded live, reflects some raggedness that results from mixing amateurs and pros. But to their credit, it also reflects dedication and commitment behind a 20-piece band willing to tackle complicated charts. Seven of the 18 tracks here come from the Maynard Ferguson book, and what could be more challenging than charts by the likes of Willie Maiden, Bill Holman, Slide Hampton or Don Sebesky? To guarantee a tribute to Ferguson would be memorable, trumpeter Matt Gallagher, whose durable lung power has electrified many Broadway pit bands, was added as special guest. His best efforts: “Bittersweet,” “Birdland,” “Danny Boy” and “Frame for the Blues.” Kudos to all first chairs: their strong phrasing kept the rest of their sections tight. It certainly paid off for the sax solos in Phil Woods’ “Randi.” Nothing could help poor pianist Pasquale Montenegro; his instrument hasn’t been tuned since MF got his union card. true 160 2008-06-20T19:08:45-04:00 false 18656 121 200802 true 63 2008-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

The Philadelphia area is blessed by the professional and amateur musicians of the Jump City Jazz Orchestra. They rehearse weekly and perform twice a month. That’s not merely a statement; it’s also a caveat. Their second CD, recorded live, reflects some raggedness that results from mixing amateurs and pros. But to their credit, it also reflects dedication and commitment behind a 20-piece band willing to tackle complicated charts. Seven of the 18 tracks here come from the Maynard Ferguson book, and what could be more challenging than charts by the likes of Willie Maiden, Bill Holman, Slide Hampton or Don Sebesky? To guarantee a tribute to Ferguson would be memorable, trumpeter Matt Gallagher, whose durable lung power has electrified many Broadway pit bands, was added as special guest. His best efforts: “Bittersweet,” “Birdland,” “Danny Boy” and “Frame for the Blues.” Kudos to all first chairs: their strong phrasing kept the rest of their sections tight. It certainly paid off for the sax solos in Phil Woods’ “Randi.” Nothing could help poor pianist Pasquale Montenegro; his instrument hasn’t been tuned since MF got his union card.

2009-03-02T00:26:34-05:00

4 Oh, those nifty ’50s: when Stan Kenton refused to rock around the clock. That’s when he ended his final “concept” band, reduced his trumpet and trombone sections to four each, added two French horns and a tuba and went on the road. One of the first gigs: San Bernardino, Calif., where Wally Heider recorded the band so faithfully, it hurts to hear Kenton coping with an out-of-tune piano. But that doesn’t lessen the intensity of the swing, thanks to Bill Holman’s charts; a trumpet section bolstered by the under-appreciated Lee Katzman; ’bones perpetuating the Kai Winding legacy, thanks to Bob Fitzpatrick and Carl Fontana; and saxes coalescing with the help of altoist Lennie Niehaus, tenorist Bill Perkins and baritonist Jack Nimitz. Highlights fill the 17 tracks: Nimitz spreading his bop gospel on “My Funny Valentine”; ditto Perkins on “What’s New” and “Stompin’ at the Savoy”; Niehaus sparkling on “Don’t Take Your Love from Me”; and Fontana grooving on “Polka Dots and Moonbeams.” It all comes together on “Intermission Riff” when drummer Mel Lewis and bassist Curtis Counce show how to propel a brass-plated big band. And for comic relief, dig the “glee club” on its unison “September Song,” particularly the Lombardo postscript. true 160 2008-06-20T19:29:07-04:00 false 18669 121 200802 true 63 2008-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Oh, those nifty ’50s: when Stan Kenton refused to rock around the clock. That’s when he ended his final “concept” band, reduced his trumpet and trombone sections to four each, added two French horns and a tuba and went on the road. One of the first gigs: San Bernardino, Calif., where Wally Heider recorded the band so faithfully, it hurts to hear Kenton coping with an out-of-tune piano. But that doesn’t lessen the intensity of the swing, thanks to Bill Holman’s charts; a trumpet section bolstered by the under-appreciated Lee Katzman; ’bones perpetuating the Kai Winding legacy, thanks to Bob Fitzpatrick and Carl Fontana; and saxes coalescing with the help of altoist Lennie Niehaus, tenorist Bill Perkins and baritonist Jack Nimitz. Highlights fill the 17 tracks: Nimitz spreading his bop gospel on “My Funny Valentine”; ditto Perkins on “What’s New” and “Stompin’ at the Savoy”; Niehaus sparkling on “Don’t Take Your Love from Me”; and Fontana grooving on “Polka Dots and Moonbeams.” It all comes together on “Intermission Riff” when drummer Mel Lewis and bassist Curtis Counce show how to propel a brass-plated big band. And for comic relief, dig the “glee club” on its unison “September Song,” particularly the Lombardo postscript.

2009-03-02T00:26:35-05:00