CHARLES MUNGUS - EPITATH

I saw this performed shortly before the recording was released. It really knocked me out. As fine as the recording is, it doesn’t do the live performance any justice.

Musicologist/conductor Gunther Schuller discovered and restored this massive, 130-minute work by the late bassist, then presented it in concert in New York in 1989. Scored for 30-piece jazz orchestra, Epitaph is thought by Schuller to have been worked on between 1940 and 1962. Amazingly enough, six of the players specified in the score appear on this recording. Some of the sections are familiar to Charles Mingus fans from small-band recordings, particularly "Better Get It in Your Soul," "Monk, Bunk, & Vice Versa (Osmotin')," and "Peggy's Blue Skylight," and there was an attempt to record this work for United Artists in 1962. Schuller makes a case for this work as a unified, 18-movement work in his extensive notes to this set. There is definite evidence that this is how Mingus himself thought of it as well. There is plenty of great big-band writing here, and some fine soloists, notably Bobby Watson, Randy Brecker, George Adams, and Wynton Marsalis. Schuller says it best in his notes: "This recording, while not the perfect realization of Epitaph -- can that ever be achieved? -- is an enthusiastic, dedicated, loving recreation, which now at last brings Mingus' magnum opus to life." With luck, this release will send people back to his many excellent recordings.

AllMusic Review by Stuart Kremsky

Artist	Credit
Michael Rabinowitz	Bass, Bassoon, Clarinet (Bass), Doubling Clarinet
Charles Mingus	Bass, Composer, Primary Artist
Ed Schuller	Bass, Guiro
Reggie Johnson	Bass
Dale Kleps	Clarinet (Contrabass), Doubling Clarinet, Flute
Phil Bodner	Clarinet, Double Flute, Horn (English), Oboe, Sax (Tenor)
Bobby Watson	Clarinet, Double Sax, Flute, Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano)
Gunther Schuller	Conductor, Editing, Guest Artist, Liner Notes, Producer
Karl Berger	Cowbell, Vibraphone
Roger Rosenberg	Doubling Clarinet, Flute, Piccolo, Sax (Baritone)
John Handy	Doubling Clarinet, Guest Artist, Sax (Alto)
Jerome Richardson	Doubling Clarinet, Sax (Alto), Saxophone
Gary Smulyan	Doubling Clarinet, Sax (Baritone)
Victor Lewis	Drums, Guest Artist
John McClure	Editing, Engineer, Mixing, Producer
John Abercrombie	Guest Artist, Guitar
John Hicks	Guest Artist, Piano
George Adams	Guest Artist, Sax (Tenor), Saxophone
Randy Brecker	Guest Artist, Trumpet
Wynton Marsalis	Guest Artist, Trumpet
Daniel Druckman	Percussion, Tumba
Sue Mingus	Photography, Producer
Roland Hanna	Piano
Paul Faulise	Trombone, Trombone (Bass)
David Taylor	Trombone, Trombone (Bass)
Eddie Bert	Trombone
Sam Burtis	Trombone
Urbie Green	Trombone
Britt Woodman	Trombone
Lew Soloff	Trumpet
Jack Walrath	Trumpet
Joe Wilder	Trumpet
Snooky Young	Trumpet
Don Butterfield	Tuba

NDR BIG BAND - The Theater Of Kurt Weill

Complete Recording

Shortly after this was recorded, the NDR Big Band  came over and appeared at the Chicago Jazz Festival and performed much of this recording. A wonderful band and especially enjoyable for fans of Kurt Weill. I didn’t know what to expect when I went but I think Weill would have been happy with what they did.

After George Gershwin and Duke Ellington the NDR Big Band celebrates another composer with a centenary:  Kurt Weill was born exactly one hundred years ago on 2nd March 1900.  Songs like "Mack The Knife", "Lost In the Stars" or "Speak Low" have lost none of their qualities 50 years since Weill’s death.    They still today circulate in priceless variations from the greats of jazz – from Louis Armstrong and Sonny Rollins to Carla Bley and Charlie Haden.Already in the early 1920s Kurt Weill was able to bridge the divide between so-called ‘light’ and ‘serious’ music.  In his repertoire a blues or tango had equal value with a violin concerto.  In jazz particularly, Weill saw the ‘Rhythm of Our Times’ and consciously absorbed jazz elements regularly into his compositions. ...

line up

NDR BIGBAND - directed by Colin Towns

Lennart Axelsson -Trumpets

Ingolf Burkhardt -Trumpets

Claus Stötter - Trumpets

Reiner Winterschladen - Trumpets

Joe Gallardo - Trombones

Jürgen Neudert - Trombones

Stefan Lottermann - Trombones

Rainer Müller - Trombones

Fiete Felsch - Reeds

Peter Bolte - Reeds

Christof Lauer - Reeds

Lutz Büchner - Reeds

Julian Argüelles -Reeds

Vladyslav Sendecki - Piano

Stephan Diez - Guitar

Lucas Lindholm - Bass 

Wolfgang Haffner - Drums

Marcio Doctor - Percussion

Hi-LOs - Happened To Folk Music

Michael Rowed The Boat Ashore

This qualifies for Big Bands Only because the orchestral arrangements were written by Billy May

The Hi-Lo's were a vocal quartet formed in 1953, who achieved their greatest fame in the late 1950s and 1960s. The group's name is a reference to their extreme vocal and physical ranges (Bob Strasen and Bob Morse were tall, Gene Puerling and Clark Burroughs were short).

Puerling and Shelton, together with Bonnie Herman and Len Dressler, later formed another vocal group, The Singers Unlimited. This group gave a wide range for Puerling's arrangements, for the four singers multi-tracked as many as 16 voices. For that reason The Singers Unlimited were exclusively a recording group.

Bob Strasen died February 28, 1994, and Bob Morse on April 27, 2001. Afterward, Puerling, Shelton and Burroughs still appeared very occasionally as the Hi-Lo's in and around Southern California. Shelton is an accomplished reed player and has played in Clare Fischer's bands. Clark Burroughs is semi-retired and can sometimes be heard on film soundtracks. On March 25, 2008, Gene Puerling died just shy of his 79th birthday

COUNT BASIE - VI REED

Stormy Monday Blues 

Solo: Vi Redd(vocal and alto sax)  

Count Basie and His Orchestra Live in Paris, 1968  

Count Basie(p) Albert Aarons, Sonny Cohn, Gene Coe, Oscar Brashear(tp) Harlem Floyd, William Hughes, Grover Mitchell, Richard Boone(tb) Marshall Royal, Charles Fowlkes, Eric Dixon, Bobby Platter, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis(sax) Freddie Green(g) Norman Keenan(b) Harold Jones(ds) 

DON ELLIS - Tears Of Joy

Bulgarian Bulge

(I've neglected Don Ellis far too long)

Recorded in 1971, Tears of Joy is a Don Ellis classic. The sheer musical strength of this ensemble is pretty much unparalleled in his career. The trumpeter/leader had backed off -- a bit -- from some of his outlandish and beautifully excessive use of strange and unconventional time signatures, though there is no lack of pioneering experimentalism in tone, color, arrangement, or style. This double LP/CD features a string quartet, a brass octet (four trumpets, tuba, bass trombone, trombone, and French horn), four winds, and a rhythm section boasting two drummers, a percussionist, a bassist, and the Bulgarian jazz piano wizard Milcho Leviev. This is a sprawling album. Disc one is made up of short- to mid-length pieces, the most notable of which are the intense adrenaline surge of "5/4 Getaway" (with a killer string arrangement by Hank Levy, one of three arrangers on this set) and the blazing Eastern European klezmer meets Bulgarian wedding music meets hard bop blues of "Bulgarian Bulge." Leviev's solo on the latter comes right out of the knotty, full-on bore of the tune's melody (written by Ellis, who scored all but three selections), and cites everyone from Wynton Kelly to Scott Joplin to Mal Waldron. Elsewhere, such as on "Quiet Longing," the strings are utilized as the base and texture of color. One can hear Gil Evans' influence here, and in the restrained tenderness of this short work one can also hear Ellis' profound lyricism in his flügelhorn solo. The second disc's first moment, "How's This for Openers?," is a knotty composition that touches on bolero, Aaron Copland, and operatic overture. Levy's "Samba Bajada" is a swinging opus that uses tropes from early Deodato in his bossa years, Sergio Mendes, and Jobim, and weaves them through with an elegant, punchy sense of hard bop and the American theater. On the 17-plus minute "Strawberry Soup" (with a vocal quartet in the background), Ellis gets to show what his band is capable of in its different formations. Full of both subtle and garish colors, timbral grace and vulgarity, elegant and roughly hewn textures, and a controlled yet wildly divergent set of dynamics, this tune is one of the most adventurous and most brilliantly composed, arranged, and executed works to come out of the modern big band literature. It is virtually a big-band concerto. Ultimately, Tears of Joy stands as a singular achievement in a career full of them by a musical auteur whose creativity seemingly knew few if any bounds.
AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek


Don Ellis Arranger, Composer, Drums, Flugelhorn, Liner Notes, Primary Artist, Producer, Trumpet
Hank Levy Arranger, Composer
Fred Selden Arranger, Photography, Woodwind
Sam Falzone Arranger, Woodwind
Dennis Parker Bass
Chris Ermacoff Cello
Lee Pastora Congas
Doug Bixby Contrabass Trombone, Trombone, Tuba
Marianne Eckstein Cover Art
Ron Dunn Drums
Ralph Humphrey Drums
Kenneth Nelson French Horn
Milcho Leviev Keyboards, Piano
Earle Correy Photography, Violin
Ken Sawhill Trombone (Bass)
Jim Sawyers Trombone
Paul G. Bogosian Trumpet
Jack Caudill Trumpet
Bruce Mackay Trumpet
Ellen Smith Viola
Alfredo Ebat Violin
Jon Clarke Woodwind
Lonnie Shetter Woodwind

GENE KRUPA PLAYS GERRY MULLIGAN ARRANGEMENTS

Gerry Mulligan was only 19 in 1946 when he joined Gene Krupa's band, playing a bit of alto and tenor sax, but primarily serving as an arranger. But the Verve LP Gene Krupa Plays Gerry Mulligan Arrangements wasn't made until 1958, long after Mulligan went out on his own. Although there are solo features built into the framework of each piece, Mulligan was quite confident in his ability to showcase the entire band as well. Mulligan's "Disc Jockey Jump" became a hit for Krupa, though it wasn't recorded until after he left the band. The vague liner notes fail to identify any of the musicians in Krupa's big band, which includes Jimmy Cleveland, Hank Jones, Barry Galbraith, Kai Winding, and Phil Woods, though Woods' alto sax solos are easily identifiable to his fans. Baritone saxophonist Danny Bank is a bit disappointing compared to what Mulligan could have recorded on the instrument, though it would have been unlikely that the composer would have been interested in rejoining Krupa, even for one record date, at the time it was recorded. It's surprising that this excellent LP remained out of print for so long, particularly with the strong resurgence of interest in all aspects of Mulligan's work since his death in 1996.

AllMusic Review by Ken Dryden

Artist

Credit

Gerry Mulligan

Arranger, Conductor, Guest Artist

Hollis King

Art Direction

Sherniece Smith

Art Producer

Norman Granz

Audio Production, Producer

Jim Gannon

Bass, Double Bass, Main Personnel

Chuck Stewart

Cover Photo

Gene Krupa

Drums, Main Personnel, Primary Artist

Ken Druker

Executive Producer

Hank Jones

Guest Artist, Main Personnel, Piano

Phil Woods

Guest Artist, Main Personnel, Sax (Alto)

Barry Galbraith

Guitar, Main Personnel

Sam Marowitz

Main Personnel, Sax (Alto)

Danny Bank

Main Personnel, Sax (Baritone)

Frank Socolow

Main Personnel, Sax (Tenor)

Eddie Wasserman

Main Personnel, Sax (Tenor)

Eddie Bert

Main Personnel, Trombone

Billy Byers

Main Personnel, Trombone

Jimmy Cleveland

Main Personnel, Trombone

Urbie Green

Main Personnel, Trombone

Kai Winding

Main Personnel, Trombone

Al DeRisi

Main Personnel, Trumpet

Marky Markowitz

Main Personnel, Trumpet

Ernie Royal

Main Personnel, Trumpet

Doc Severinsen

Main Personnel, Trumpet

Al Stewart

Main Personnel, Trumpet

Willie Dennis

Trombone

SOUTHLAND JAZZ ENSEMBLE- Remember

When you live in a town the size of Chicago, the north side often doesn't know what the south side is doing. Such is the case with The Southland Jazz Ensemble. They come from far south side of the city. So far south it's almost Kentucky. But they fortunately did make it up to Fitzgeralds a couple of times.  This is from their appearnce about 6 years ago.

CLAUDE BOLLING BIG BAND- Paris Swing

Suivez le Chef

Pianist / composer Claude Bolling, who has traveled all over the musical map from swing to classical and back during more than four decades as one of France’s most formidable performing artists, settles into a straight-ahead groove on Paris Swing. This record is a warmhearted hommage to French popular song that showcases his superb big band in the company of vocalists Marc Thomas and Maud (no last name given, like Madonna or Cher but with a French accent). Thomas, who may be an ex-pat (but whose French is impeccable), is a gregarious showman who brings out the best in such numbers as “C’est Si Bon,” “La Javanaise,” “La Boite de Jazz” and “Y’a d’la Joie,” while Maud is a cabaret singer whose clear, sultry voice is perfectly suited to such evocative melodies as “Autumn Leaves,” “J’ai Deux Amours” (popularized by Josephine Baker), “Le Jazz et la Java” and “Syracuse.” The two are heard together on “A Man and a Woman” and the four-part medley “Paris Bouquet.” 

The ensemble has seven selections to itself, and is typically magnifique on every one, including Charles Trenet’s well-known melodies, “La Mer” (Beyond the Sea) and “I Wish You Love,” Bolling’s “Borsalino,” Michel Legrand’s “Pair of Twins” (from the film Les Demoiselles de Rochefort ) and a souped-up version of the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise.” The opener, Bolling’s breezy, Basie-like “Suivez le Chef,” is a quick-witted “conversation” between his piano and the band. Bolling slows the tempo for a romantic version of “Beyond the Sea,” then picks it up again for “C’est Si Bon,” which was introduced by Yves Montand and became a mega-hit for Eartha Kitt in the ’50s. Maud sings “Autumn Leaves” in French and English, exposing only the slightest trace of an accent when abandoning her native tongue to interpret Johnny Mercer’s lyric. Instrumental soloists aren’t credited but they include Bolling and several members of the ensemble, each of whom is splendid. A delicious box of French bon bons, neatly packaged by maestro Bolling, his admirable big band and singers Thomas and Maud.

HYESSEON HONG JAZZ ORCHESTRA

BOAT SONG

What a delightful surprise. Korean-born composer / arranger Hyeseon Hong, a graduate of NYU who now lives in New Jersey, enfolds the best of two worlds —east and west —on her superlative debut album, EE-YA-GI (Stories), introducing Hong's eighteen-piece Jazz Orchestra and some heavy-hitting soloists including trumpeter Ingrid Jensen and tenor saxophonist Rich Perry. 

While Hong salutes her heritage at various points along the way, she proves on every number her conclusive grasp of traditional western jazz, writing themes whose handsome melodic and harmonic framework is nourished by an abiding sense of swing as epitomized by large ensembles from Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington through Basie, Herman, Buddy Rich, Jones-Lewis and others of that breed. As the album's title denotes, Hong's writing is largely thematic, ranging from Thanksgiving ("Harvest Dance") to youth and love ("Friends or Lovers"), long- lost friends ("Para mi Amigo Distante"), her Korean heritage ("Boat Song"), girlhood memories ("Disappearing Into Foam"), first love ("Love Song") and even the idiosyncrasies of an unruly dog ("Trash Digging Queen"). 

The opening "Harvest Dance," inspired, Hong writes, by a traditional Korean rhythm, encompasses bright solos by Jensen and trombonist Ron Wilkens. Alto Ben Kono, guitarist Matt Panayides and Matt Vashlishan on EWI are the soloists on the light-footed "Friends or Lovers," Kono (soprano) and tenor Jeremy Powell on "Para mi Amigo," which dances to a breezy Latin groove. Perry is showcased on the eastern-oriented "Boat Song" (which includes a wordless vocal by E.J. Park and Subin Park) and solos again on the playful "Trash Digging Queen." Pianist Broc Hempel is the lone improviser on the lyrical "Disappearing into Foam" (with more wordless vocals), trumpeter Jensen on the warm and even-tempered finale, "Love Song." 

As one whose path lies mostly on the horizon, Hyeseon Hong has served notice with EE-YA-GI that hers is a voice to be hearkened to and applauded within the ranks of contemporary big-band composers and arrangers. Well done.

Personnel: Hyeseon Hong: composer, arranger, director; Augie Haas: trumpet; Ingrid Jensen: trumpet; Jason Wiseman: trumpet; Colin Brigstocke: trumpet; Ben Kono: alto, soprano sax, flute; Matt Vashlishan: alto, flute, EWI; Rich Perry: tenor sax; Jeremy Powell: tenor sax, clarinet; Andrew Hadro: baritone sax, bass clarinet; Ron Wilkens: trombone; Daniel Linden: trombone; Ric Becker: trombone; Becca Patterson: trombone; Matt Panayides: guitar; Broc Hempel: piano; John Lenis: bass; Mark Ferber: drums; E.J. Park: vocals; Subin Park: vocal (4).

CHARLES McPHERSON - Cherokee

A Charlie Parker disciple who brings his own lyricism to the bebop language, Charles McPherson has been a reliable figure in modern mainstream jazz for more than 35 years. He played in the Detroit jazz scene of the mid-'50s, moved to New York in 1959, and within a year was working with Charles Mingus. McPherson and his friend Lonnie Hillyer succeeded Eric Dolphy and Ted Curson as regular members of Mingus' band in 1961 and he worked with the bassist off and on up until 1972. Although he and Hillyer had a short-lived quintet in 1966, McPherson was not a full-time leader until 1972. In 1978, he moved to San Diego, which has been his home ever since and sometimes he uses his son, Chuck McPherson, on drums. Charles McPherson, who helped out on the film Bird by playing some of the parts not taken from Charlie Parker records, has led dates through the years for Prestige (1964-1969), Mainstream, Xanadu, Discovery, and Arabesque.

Jon Faddis, Earl Gardner, Byron Stripling, Scott Wendholt, Greg Gisbert (tp) Slide Hampton, Steve Turre, Dennis Wilson, Douglas Purviance (tb) Dick Oatts, Jerry Dodgion, Charles McPherson (as) Frank Wess, Ralph Lalama (ts) Gary Smulyan (bar) Renee Rosnes (p) Peter Washington (b) Kenny Washington (d) Bill Holman (arr)

DIVA JAZZ ORCHESTRA - Live At Birdland

About DIVA

Hard-charging. Powerful. Immersed in the history of their craft and in total command of their instruments. That’s DIVA – an ensemble of 15 extremely talented and versatile musicians who just happen to be women. They can’t help it – they were born that way.

Headed by swinging drummer Sherrie Maricle, DIVA exudes the excitement and force found in the tradition of the historic big bands but with an eye towards today’s progressive sound of originality and verve. With New York as their home base, DIVA performs all over the world playing contemporary, mainstream big band jazz composed and arranged to fit the individual personalities and styles of the musicians themselves. Audiences can expect to hear high-energy performances packed with unique improvisation, spontaneity, and fun.

The inspiration for DIVA came from Stanley Kay, one-time manager and relief drummer for Buddy Rich. In 1990, Kay was conducting a band in which Sherrie Maricle was playing the drums. Stanley immediately picked up on her extraordinary talent and began to wonder if there were other women players who could perform at the same level. In 1992 the search was on, and through nationwide auditions the foundation for DIVA was poured. What emerged is the dynamic musical force that holds forth to the present day.

DIANE SCHUR AND THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA

I Just Found Out About Love

This CD features a logical combination: singer Diane Schuur with the Count Basie big band. In what would be longtime rhythm guitarist Freddie Green's final performance, Schuur and the Basie ghost band (under the direction of Frank Foster) perform material that includes her standards (such as "Deedles' Blues" and "Climbing Higher Mountains"), Dave Brubeck's "Travlin' Blues" and the Joe Williams-associated "Everyday I Have The Blues." Unfortunately, the Basie band is mostly used in accompaniment without any significant solos, but Schuur sounds quite comfortable in this format and her voice is in prime form.

AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow

Diane Schuur  Piano, Primary Artist, Vocals Frank Foster Arranger, Composer, Guest Artist, Leader, Sax (Tenor) Lynn Seaton Bass Freddie Green Composer, Guest Artist, Guitar Dennis Mackrel Drums Danny House Sax (Alto) Danny Turner Sax (Alto) John Williams Sax (Baritone) John Williams Sax (Baritone) Eric Dixon Sax (Tenor) Kenny Hing Sax (Tenor) Clarence Banks Trombone Bill Hughes Trombone Mel Wanzo Trombone Dennis Wilson Trombone Dennis Quartet Wilson Trombone Sonny Cohn Trumpet Melton Mustafa Trumpet Bob Ojeda Trumpet Byron Stripling

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https://youtu.be/lOU_L28_1k4

JOHNNY HODGES WITH BILLY STRAYHORN AND THE ORCHESTRA

Alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges recorded frequently for Verve in the 1950s and 1960s, although nearly all of the musicians on this CD are from the Ellington orchestra and the arrangements are by Billy Strayhorn. Hodges is never less than superb throughout this reissue, while Lawrence Brown, Harry Carney and non-Ellingtonians Howard McGhee on trumpet and pianist Jimmy Jones also deserve praise. Strayhorn's exotic chart of "Azure" and emotional scoring of "Your Love Has Faded" are especially striking. Recommended.

AllMusic Review by Ken Dryden

Artist

Credit

Billy Strayhorn

Arranger, Composer, Conductor, Performer, Primary Artist

Aaron Bell

Bass

Harry Carney

Clarinet (Bass), Guest Artist, Sax (Baritone), Sax (Bass)

Russell Procope

Clarinet, Sax (Alto)

Jimmy Hamilton

Clarinet, Sax (Tenor)

Johnny Hodges

Composer, Primary Artist, Sax (Alto)

Ed Mullens

Composer, Trumpet

Paul Gonsalves

Guest Artist, Sax (Tenor)

Cat Anderson

Guest Artist, Trumpet

Shorty Baker

Guest Artist, Trumpet

Bill Berry

Guest Artist, Trumpet

Howard McGhee

Guest Artist, Trumpet

Jimmy Jones

Piano

Chuck Connors

Trombone (Bass)

Lawrence Brown

Trombone

Quentin Jackson