26 Mar
Appearing Nightly by Carla Bley Big Band
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Jazz fans that are also history buffs know that once upon a time, jazz was actually a type of.... [deep breath] popular music. In the 1950’s, even afte…
07 Mar
Grapefruit Moon, the songs of Tom Waits by Southside Johnny with LaBamba's 17-piece Big Band
Friday, 07 March 2008
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Around the time my good buddy, Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg asked me to produce and engineer "Grapefruit Moon, the Songs of Tom Waits," I had been listening to "Sinatra's Swi…
29 Feb
The Whit Williams Nows The Time Big Band by Whit Williams
Friday, 29 February 2008
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Whit Williams is an iconic Baltimore jazz musician, having been a fixture in the city for over fifty years as a reed player, arranger, and educator. Naturally, he's work…
28 Jan
Then, Now & Again by CNY Jazz Orchestra
Monday, 28 January 2008
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
CNY Jazz Orchestra is the flagship program formed by the Central New York Jazz Arts Foundation. The group’s debut album, Then, Now & Again is a collection of mode…
20 Jan
Harriet Tubman by Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The 2-disc set entitled Harriet Tubman from the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra is a fusion of American swing, scat, blues, gospel, and spiritual/soul jazz. In the t…
12 Jan
Thank You Uncle Edward by Duke Ellington Legacy
Saturday, 12 January 2008
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The Duke Ellington Legacy set one goal for themselves as a big band and that is to preserve the ideals of the late, great jazz pianist and bandleader Duke Ellington, who…
31 Dec
Bob Mintzer Big Band by Bob Mintzer
Monday, 31 December 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Manchester Craftsmen's Guild continues to release topnotch jazz CDs, and among them is the Grammy Award winning Bob Mintzer Big Band in a live recording. The sound is clear…
29 Jul
Another Monday Night by Swingadelic
Sunday, 29 July 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Working out of the New York City metropolitan area, Swingadelic is, roughly, a 10-piece dance little big band. Specializing in swing, the ensemble has capitalized on the…
Michael Dease is a leader. With Dease Bones he has developed a unique common sound from a group of stellar trombonists whose individual solo voices are divers…
12 Jul
Thats It! by Brooks The Brooks Tegler Big Band
Thursday, 12 July 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Washington D.C. based drummer and band leader, Brooks Tegler, who's played on over a hundred recordings and is the 2004 recipient of the Wammie Award for best Jazz/Swing…
06 Jul
Louie & Clark Expedition 2 by Louie Bellson and Clark Terry
Friday, 06 July 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Drummer Louie Bellson and trumpeter Clark Terry bring out the big band sound of days gone by and let it shine brightly in their latest collaboration Louie & Clark Exp…
Swingadelic is the New York City Metropolitan Area’s greatest "little big band" that delivers the traditional big band music of Ellington, Basie an...
19 Jun
Detour! by Jazz Composer's Workshop Orchestra
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Composer, trombonist, educator and leader of the Jazz Composer’s Workshop Orchestra, Mike Treni did his schooling at both the Berklee College of Music and the University…
I have just come from a screening of a new film Duke Ellington Live In ’58. Obviously, it’s not new. This is a DVD by the Jazz Icon folks, a buried treasure that was…
14 Jun
2 Hot & 2 Cool by The FIU Big Band
Thursday, 14 June 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Music director/trumpeter and pianist Sam Lussier provides his modus operandi on a per track basis within the CD insert text for this divergent set of arrangements of ori…
12 Jun
Monterey Moods by Gerald Wilson Orchestra
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
You know the way you get a tune stuck in your head and it plays over and over again until it drives you crazy? Well, that’s apparently what happened to Gerald Wilson.
09 Jun
All In by Westchester Jazz Orchestra
Saturday, 09 June 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The Westchester Jazz Orchestra consists of seventeen premiere jazz musicians living or working in the suburbs just north of New York City. Finally, after performing for …
31 May
One Kettle For Count by Gary Tole and Legends of Swing
Thursday, 31 May 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Gary Tole and Legends of Swing is dedicated to bringing new life to big band classics from the swing era decades back. Shining up these jazz gems, Tole leads a solid band c…
17 May
Voices by University of Memphis Southern Comfort Jazz Orches
Thursday, 17 May 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
It is standard procedure for university music departments to create promotional materials in order to showcase, explain and elucidate on a given major or program. For en…
16 May
Glimmer Of Night & Day by Texas Tech University Jazz Ensemble One
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Glimmer of Night & Day is not the first CD by Texas Tech University’s Jazz Ensemble One under the direction of Alan Shinn. Their CD Seein' the Light...Hearin' …
14 May
By Request by Mike Barone Big Band
Monday, 14 May 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Mike Barone, a trombone king, a big band leader, a composer, an arranger, a dedicated jazz artist, driving his big band to glory. His newest album, By Request -- the…
29 Apr
All In by Westchester Jazz Orchestra
Sunday, 29 April 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
It's rare these days to find a big band out on the road but there are many back home in the neighborhoods. It helps if the neighborhood is a stone's throw from New York Cit…
23 Apr
Blues Man From Memphis -- more from the Musical Mind of Donald Brown by Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
Monday, 23 April 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Educator, pianist, and one-time member of Art Blakey’s fabled Jazz Messengers, this endeavor showcases Donald Brown’s formidable compositional acumen. He’s the pianist a…
11 Apr
Hoarded Dreams by Graham Collier
Wednesday, 11 April 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Composer, bandleader, bass player, and jazz educator Graham Collier has propelled the British jazz scene since the 1960s. His passion for live jazz and the interaction o…
06 Apr
Live In Tokyo by Mingus Big Band
Friday, 06 April 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
This 2005 New Year’s Eve show recorded at the Blue Note in Tokyo offers the best of the Mingus Big Band. Here are Eddie Henderson, Jack Walrath (who was with Mingus in T…
01 Apr
High Octane by Dan McMillion Jazz Orchestra
Sunday, 01 April 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
High Octane and firing on all cylinders, this new CD release by big band leader and trumpeter Dan McMillion pushes his Jazz Orchestra well past the stratosphere. Pay…
23 Mar
Hosted by Michael Feinstein by Soundies: A Musical History (DVD)
Friday, 23 March 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
In 1941 the Mills Novelty Company introduced the Panoram, a combination movie projector and juke box. When patrons inserted a dime, they were treated to a low budget three …
19 Mar
Sky Blue by Maria Schneider Orchestra
Monday, 19 March 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Traditional big band arranging focuses on give and take between sections - trumpets, trombones and reeds - with rhythm support. Spiced with counterpoint and polyrhythms, th…
24 Feb
If Dreams Come True by George Gee and the Jump Jivin’ Wailers
Saturday, 24 February 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Here’s one of the most-satisfying swing albums in quite a while. George Gee is a native New Yorker and has led a big band for three decades. His swing outfit delighted b…
14 Feb
The One and Only Maynard Ferguson by Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band
Wednesday, 14 February 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
I first heard Maynard at the Snowdon Theatre in my hometown of Montreal when that slight young teenager was a sideman in brother Percy's Victory Serenaders. By age 17 he ha…
03 Feb
If Dreams Come True by George Gee Jump Jivin' Wailers Swing Orchestra
Saturday, 03 February 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The first few bars of "All the Cats Join In" rolled out featuring Dan Block’s clarinet and I oooed to nobody in particular, ‘This is going to be a good CD.’ George Gee a…
28 Jan
Eternal Licks & Grooves by Bob Florence Limited Edition
Sunday, 28 January 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
April 2007 - Bob Florence is like an on-call surgeon who is regularly paged to resuscitate the big band sound. With his long-time unit Limited Edition, he keeps the notes o…
26 Jan
Eternal Licks & Grooves by The Bob Florence Limited Edition
Friday, 26 January 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Bob Florence has been a consistently innovative and surprising arranger, even as he has worked in Hollywood’s studios, worked as musical director for the likes of Julie And…
17 Jan
Plays Well With Others by Wayne Bergeron
Wednesday, 17 January 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Wayne Bergeron may be the most-heard trumpet player you’ve never heard of. He is a prolific lead trumpet player and soloist in the Los Angeles music scene and his trumpe…
16 Jan
Eternal Licks & Grooves by The Bob Florence Limited Edition
Tuesday, 16 January 2007
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
For half a century Bob Florence has been writing and arranging hard swinging, inventive big band arrangements. His Limited Edition band is stocked with a deep roster of …
15 Aug
Kindred Spirits by The Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra
Tuesday, 15 August 2006
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Arranger Gary Urwin has recorded two albums with his Jazz Orchestra, which consists of well-known Southern California musicians, and now his third is being released on Summ…
03 Aug
The European Youth Jazz Orchestra 2006 by European Youth Jazz Orchestra
Thursday, 03 August 2006
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
If this is your introduction to the European Youth Jazz Orchestra (EYJO), don't let the name fool you. It is not a student band. The players are indeed young; they must not…
01 Aug
Live at the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival by New England Jazz Ensemble
Tuesday, 01 August 2006
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Just one listen and I had to review the New England Jazz Ensemble's third CD, the 2003 release, A Cookin' Christmas, even though it was March 2004. An exciting band …
23 Jul
Metropole by Mike Barone Big Band
Sunday, 23 July 2006
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The recording's title track, "Metropole," is the opening song: a rich, full sounding catchy rhythm introduces the band, a nice horn arrangement with a funky pulsating beat,…
21 Jul
The Phantom Dancer by Greg Poppleton & His Bakelite Dance Band
Friday, 21 July 2006
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Don’t you just appreciate pleasant surprises? Especially musical ones! There’s nothing like stumbling across an artist who is fresh, original, filled with musical integr…
12 Jul
LJO 06 by Lamont Jazz Orchestra
Wednesday, 12 July 2006
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Listening to the Lamont Jazz Orchestra’s fourth recording, LJO ’06, I pine for those days when I played in the jazz band in high school. There was nothing I liked…
07 Jul
Leap Frog by Texas Christian University Jazz Ensembles
Friday, 07 July 2006
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Colleges and universities are the last cultural bastions for the transference of knowledge from one generation to another. Where else can one go to hear and learn about …
04 Jul
Round Trip by Marilyn Harris
Tuesday, 04 July 2006
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Marilyn Harris’ Round Trip stands out because it features a big band sound and spirit but with fresh, original songs. The vocalist has writing credits on 10 of the d…
Alto sax legend Bud Shank’s first big band release features exciting arrangements from Bob Cooper, Manny Albam, Mike Barone, and Bob Florence. This...
21 Jun
Live Jazz From Club 15 by Glenn Miller Orchestra/Si Zentner Orchestra
Wednesday, 21 June 2006
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Glenn Miller and Si Zentner, with their orchestras, share billing on Live Jazz From Club 15, part of a series of CDs made from re-discovered tapes of live broadcasts…
Ginny Lynn is a Toronto area jazz singer who’s been around long enough to know some of the artists whose songs she sings, personally. That includes the …
09 Jun
Jazz From Club15 by Guy Lombardo
Friday, 09 June 2006
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
This unlikely CD arrived this week as part of the Request Records Jazz From Club15 series. While the Lombardo band was arguably one of the most successful of the big…
31 May
Star Dust & Beyond by Dick Johnson
Wednesday, 31 May 2006
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Dick Johnson of Brockton, MA., is known throughout New England, and a lot of other places, as a master of all the reeds. On Stardust and Beyond, a tribute to Artie S…
14 May
Risës Rose Garden by Richie Cole and The Alto Madness Orchestra
Sunday, 14 May 2006
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The evolution of the big band has emphasized intricate charts and unusual instrumentation. I have reviewed many of the resulting CDs and have been impressed. However, Richi…
05 May
The Barrie Lee Hall Jr. Duke Ellington Small Band by Barrie Hall (Duke Ellington Small Band)
Friday, 05 May 2006
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
This weekend, I was invited to an album release party. I must admit it was my first time attending a function like this but I had to bite since I love jazz so much. The …