14 Jan
Fake Book by Skip Heller
Wednesday, 14 January 2004
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Skip Heller’s Fake Book is anything but fake!Ten tracks on this CD bring back all the greatness of the masters’ hits, as Heller honors the artists he admir…
09 Dec
On the Wild Side by John La Barbera Big Band
Tuesday, 09 December 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
I can truly say that without question, John La Barbera's On The Wild Side CD is one powerful exclamation of jazz music that sets this recording apart from the rest and puts…
09 Dec
Let Freedom Ring! by Denys Baptiste
Tuesday, 09 December 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
British tenor saxophonist Denys Baptiste and his large ensemble have crafted a hands-down winner here. His compositions and arrangements celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s …
09 Dec
Living In The Moment by Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra
Tuesday, 09 December 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra has done it again with their second CD Living In The Moment an encore performance to the first CD Perspectives. To produce this …
03 Nov
On the Wild Side by John La Barbera Big Band
Monday, 03 November 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Buddy Rich had one of the most exciting bands ever for many reasons: Buddy's charisma and technique, skilled musicians and, for more than fifteen years, John La Barbera's a…
27 Oct
Convergence Zone by Phil Kelly & The NW Prevailing Winds
Monday, 27 October 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Composer/arranger Phil Kelly has some first call help on his latest effort, including Pete Christlieb, Gary Smulyan and Bill Ramsey on woodwinds, Andy Martin and Jay Thomas…
26 Oct
Three Romances by University of Miami Concert Jazz Band
Sunday, 26 October 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
This disc contains a program which features five tracks drawn from the University of Miami's award-winning Concert Jazz Band archives of the nineties, followed by the debut…
25 Oct
More Never Recorded Arrangements for Benny Goodman, Vol. 2 by Bob Wilbur and the Tuxedo Big Band
Saturday, 25 October 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
As Big Band fans will guess, this CD is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed "Fletcher Henderson's Unrecorded Arrangements for Benny Goodman", released three ye…
23 Oct
Refractions by Kim Richmond Concert Jazz Orchestra
Thursday, 23 October 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
When one thinks of classical musical, centuries-old compositions by European masters usually come to mind. However, it’s often been said that jazz is "American classical mu…
14 Oct
Good For Stompin by J Street Jumpers
Tuesday, 14 October 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The jump blues bands of the 40’s and 50’s denote a period in jazz when music was meant to take you by the horns and lift you off the dance floor. With its blues drenched no…
Turn harkens back to a period when swing was cool and sophisticated. Blend that with breezy tempos and sun-soaked notes and you have Doug MacDonald’s latest outing.
04 Oct
Looking For America by The Carla Bley Big Band
Saturday, 04 October 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Carla Bley assimilates slices of Americana into these snazzy, witty, and often- vociferous big band arrangements. The artist greatly benefits from her longtime musical asso…
01 Oct
A Cookin Christmas' by New England Jazz Ensemble
Wednesday, 01 October 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Christmas is joyous, colorful and full of surprises. So is this CD and that's why I'm reviewing it in March when it first came my way. This Connecticut-based big band has a…
26 Sep
Mean What You Say by Temple University Jazz Band
Friday, 26 September 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The Temple University Jazz Band exudes energy and confidence. Some of this can be credited to their youth.They also have a strong leader, trumpeter Terell Stafford who has …
12 Sep
Far East Suite by Duke Ellington Orchestra
Friday, 12 September 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Vincent Henar from the band Fra Fra Sound maintains that Jazz was the first "world music" - though the music originated in America from the clash/co-mingling of cultures, J…
11 Sep
Live by The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra
Thursday, 11 September 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The Henry Mancini Institute offers the most promising young musicians from across the world a chance to experience an intensive summer educational program that provides enc…
20 Aug
New York New Sound by Gerald Wilson
Wednesday, 20 August 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The big band has an essential role to play in jazz, yet good big bands are hard to find in the USA. The Basie and Ellington bands still persist in one form or another but t…
03 Aug
A Night at the Wisp by Blue Wisp Big Band
Sunday, 03 August 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The Blue Wisp, a nationally known jazz club in Cincinnati, has been in operation since 1973. In 1977 the owner, a country-western fan, instituted a jazz policy to attract a…
31 Jul
New York New Sound by Gerald Wilson
Thursday, 31 July 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Gerald Wilson has been on the jazz scene for 85 years, what else could he possible create for us. Well be careful for what you wish for, because you just may get it, and th…
24 Jul
Americas #1 Band! The Columbia Years by Count Basie and His Orchestra
Thursday, 24 July 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Will the hundredth anniversary of Count Basie’s birth in 2004 be noted as elaborately, and as profitably, as was Duke Ellington’s in 1999? How could that be possible, witho…
19 Jul
Americas #1 Band - The Columbia Years by Count Basie
Saturday, 19 July 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, when Jazz was not yet an Art Form (at least to most Americans - the Europeans held it in higher esteem), it was FU…
17 Jul
Live by The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra
Thursday, 17 July 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The Henry Mancini Institute and its summer education program were founded by composer/arranger Jack Elliott in 1997 to continue Mancini's legacy as a mentor for youth. Each…
15 Jul
Neo-Moderism by Either/Orchestra
Tuesday, 15 July 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
I don’t know about neo-modernism as a literary theory, but as the title of Either/Orchestra’s new recording on Accurate Records it does reflect the broad-minded big band sc…
02 Jul
Let Freedom Ring! by Denys Baptiste
Wednesday, 02 July 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
What a mind blowing album! The opening alone takes your breath away, with the brass line gently and lyrically softened by the cello bow.Baptiste’s homage to the unforgettab…
28 Jun
The Clifford Brown Project by Mark Masters Ensemble
Saturday, 28 June 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
This collection pays tribute to the great trumpet work of Clifford Brown by way of performing some of his compositions. The arrangements are by Mark Masters except for thre…
15 Jun
More Conversations In Swing Guitar by Duke Robillard and Herb Ellis
Sunday, 15 June 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
This is the second recorded matchup of Duke Robillard, who has established one of the finest reputations in the blues field since he founded Roomful Of Blues in the late se…
07 Jun
New York New Sound by Gerald Wilson Orchestra
Saturday, 07 June 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
I am going to call Gerald Wilson the West Coast Duke Ellington. This may not be the most perfect analogy to draw, but it is one that Mr. Wilson is most deserving of. Wilson…
18 May
Urban Soundscape by NewYorkestra Big Band
Sunday, 18 May 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
NewYorkestra Big Band paints Urban Soundscapes by gathering some of the finest jazz musicians available in the Big Apple into one recording session. Led by Pete McGu…
15 May
Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter by Jack Cooper and The Jazz Orchestra of the Delta
Thursday, 15 May 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
BIG BAND REFLECTIONS OF COLE PORTER is a CD collection which will delight Cole Porter fans and Big Band fans alike! Marvin Stamm on trumpet plays the music of Cole Porter i…
07 May
The Legendary Tenor Saxophonists 1922-1940 by Various Artists
Wednesday, 07 May 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The Legendary Tenor Saxophonists 1922-1940 is really a recorded history of the evolution of the tenor saxophone as it relates to jazz music. As Scott Yanow stated in the li…
06 May
The Bob Florence Limited Edition by Bob Florence
Tuesday, 06 May 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Bob Florence is a Pianist of unequalled harmonic virtuosity, as well as a composer and arranger of both sensitivity and power. Florence brings a mystical romanticism on the…
15 Apr
How’s That? by Mike Kaplan Nonet
Tuesday, 15 April 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
In April 2003, the Mike Kaplan Nonet released their debut release How’s That?. The cover of the CD explains the title that is for sure. How do several men calmly sit…
13 Apr
Music Is The Best Medicine by Dr. Toot Musical Medicine Show
Sunday, 13 April 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
A marvelous collection of outstanding big band and swing performances, MUSIC IS THE BEST MEDICINE is something the jazz audience will enjoy listening to. It has style and v…
02 Apr
As He Wanted To Be Remembered by Walt Levinsky
Wednesday, 02 April 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Many readers will be unaware of Walt Levinsky's contributions to jazz and swing. Levinsky was seldom in the spotlight directly except with his Great American Swing Ba…
02 Apr
Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band by Duke Ellington
Wednesday, 02 April 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
OK, as there’s a few of you/yez/yunz/you-all out there in TV Land who may not be "hip" to the facts on The Duke, here’s the short form. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (189…
29 Mar
Platinum Glenn Miller by Glenn Miller
Saturday, 29 March 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Romance is in the air when Glenn Miller unveils his danceable and also listenable music. The arrangements are lucid and the wonderful melodies come alive again bringing nos…
23 Mar
Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter by Jazz Orchestra of the Delta
Sunday, 23 March 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Jack Cooper’s Jazz Orchestra of the Delta delivers Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter, an album that is sure to delight fans of ambitious, lush big band music. Supp…
22 Mar
Woody Herman 1963 by Woody Herman
Saturday, 22 March 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
1963 was not a particularly good year for jazz or big bands, but along cameWoody Herman with one killer outfit of a big band , probably one of the mostexciting in jazz hist…
19 Mar
Quantum Leap by The Paul Cacia Jazz Orchestra
Wednesday, 19 March 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The Paul Cacia Jazz Orchestra is a fine gathering of jazz musicians, and the music performed is excellent. If you want to hear a jazz orchestra in top form and one of the b…
15 Mar
A Perfect Match by Mark Taylor / Fidyk Big Band
Saturday, 15 March 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
An exceptionally tasteful outing for this Washington D.C. big band. The arrangments are allow for well-structured solos. Steve Fidyk is an excellent big band drummer playin…
04 Mar
Channel One Suite (DVD) by Buddy Rich and His Band
Tuesday, 04 March 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Channel One Suite is a live 1985 performance by Buddy Rich and His Band at One Pass's King Street Studios in San Francisco. It serves as a final document to the grea…
26 Feb
Looking For America by Carla Bley Big Band
Wednesday, 26 February 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
If they chisel a fifth face into Mt. Rushmore, it ought to be Ms. Bley’s. Now that I got your attention with that rah-rah bit of hyperbole, I must say that Carla Bley has i…
08 Feb
Got Swing! by Erich Kunzel / Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Saturday, 08 February 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Pops stands for pleasure and this is an entertaining CD. The orchestra's arrangers have provided crowd-pleasing charts of swing favorites from "String of Pearls" to "Sweet …
03 Feb
Hittin’ The Blue Notes: Volume One by The Dynamic Les DeMerle Band
Monday, 03 February 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
There’s no doubt from the downbeat of the first tune on Hittin’ The Blue Notes--that tune being "Just Friends"--that this is a drummer’s project. In the same way tha…
29 Jan
Gary Lawrence and his Sizzling Syncopators by Gary Lawrence and his Sizzling Syncopators
Wednesday, 29 January 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
If you like Big Band with a distinct flavor of the 1920s era arrangements, you will fall in love with this lively collection of tunes. There are 20 songs in the collection.…
17 Jan
Living In The Moment by Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra
Friday, 17 January 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Colores del Fuego," the first of four Gary Urwin originals on this CD, should be its title. There's so much fire and color here, provided by this creative arranger/composer…
15 Jan
Hiroshima - Rising From The Ashes by Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra Featuring Lew Taba
Wednesday, 15 January 2003
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
If one likes or needs to note a "timeline" or "continuum" - where there’s a defining composer/stylist and there’s folks carrying on the tradition (i.e., Albert Ayler -> Pet…
05 Oct
Strike Up The Band by The Saint Louis Brass Band
Saturday, 05 October 2002
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
First-Rate Brass Band Defies StereotypesFirst off, there are two things about The Saint Louis Brass Band that need to be said: this isn't really jazz, and …
04 Oct
Monday In The City by Contemporary Jazz Orchestra
Friday, 04 October 2002
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
The Contemporary Jazz Orchestra is a 16-piece ensemble comprised of many of San Francisco's Bay area top notch jazz musicians playing the charts from some of the best co…
29 Sep
Live! Rich Wetzels Groovin Higher Jazz Orchestra by Rich Wetzel's Groovin Higher Jazz Orchestra
Sunday, 29 September 2002
Published in
Big Band / Swing - CD Reviews
Best big band CD I have heard in ages! This CD has a depth of sound and a true live gig quality while delivering the intensity that guys like Wayne Bergeron and Rich Wet…