Recent instrumental big band and orchestral jazz album recommendations. With ~25 & ~50 year retrospectives, to illustrate the timelessness of this great music.
THIS SITE PROMOTES FUN JAZZ!
Excerpts from and links to album reviews of rather boisterous jazz albums. Artist and album info links at: Wikipedia; website; Discogs; Bandcamp; Allmusic, as available/worthwhile. Links to the full album on: basic/free YouTube; subscription Spotify; purchase download Bandcamp, as available. Check your favorite service. Please enjoy!
Friday 50s,an album from about a half-century ago.... 😉
This is a 1973 release that was nominated for a 1975 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band. Patrick Williams won for Best Instrumental Arrangement of the title tune. 🎺 🎷
"....this album features Williams hitting....a 70s jazz funk groove,
with a nice electric edge. The tracks are long, and the solos are
played by Tom Scott and Marvin Stamm (mostly) -- and the rest of the
group includes Mike Melvoin on keyboards, John Guerin on drums, and
Larry Bunker on percussion." Dusty Groove. Album Allmusic ; Discogs.
Patrick Williams was a composer/arranger/bandleader who made most of his fame in TV and movie music, but also released some fine jazz albums. He scored > 200 films and ~ 20 television series, and did arrangements for >200 albums! He won 4 Emmys and 23 nominations, 2 Grammys and 19 nominations, with nominations for an Oscar and a Pulitzer. 😱 His website ; Wikipedia ; Allmusic ; Discogs ; IMDB.
The 2025 Grammy and 2024 Latin Grammy Awards are complete. Here is a summary of how 'large ensemble' or orchestral jazz nominees fared. The 67th Grammy Awards were 2 February.
Bill Frisell, Orchestras - Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Henry Mancini, The 100th Sessions: Henry Has Company - Michael League of Snarky Puppy for Best Arrangement Of An Instrumental for "Baby Elephant Walk - Encore."
The 25th Latin Grammy Awards were 14 November 2024.
Hilario Duran WON for Best Arrangement of 'Night in Tunisia' on Hilario Durán and His Latin Jazz Big Band, Cry Me A River, featuring saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera. Hilario also earned a 2024 regular Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Arrangement for ‘I Remember Mingus.’ A post below has more info, links and a video of '....Mingus,' with Paquito.
Paquito D’Rivera earned a 2nd nomination for Best Classical Contemporary Composition for 'Caribbean
Berceuse' on the Barcelona Clarinet Players' (BCP) 2023 album Panamericano. Daniel Freiberg earned nominations for composition and Best Arrangment for the song 'Sueño Austral' from the this well-regarded album.
Here's some more info, from their label. "The Barcelona Clarinet Players
commissioned six prominent Latin American composers to write new works
for clarinet quartet and wind band. During their 2021–2022 season, they
recorded each work with a different wind band in the United States or
Latin America, and the result is a captivating album of extraordinary
musical richness and diversity that showcases the unique aesthetic of
each composer and the artistry of the performing ensembles." Album Discogs. BCP website ; Discogs.
Barcelona Clarinet Players, Panamericano, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
Tuesday 25s,albums fromabout a quarter-century ago. Today's recommendation is a wonderful 3 album-run from 1999 - 2000 by the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra (DRJO), or also Big Band (DRBB) 😊
Nice Work was required to earn pianist/composer/arranger Jim McNeely and the DRJO a 2001 Grammy Award nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. 😁 Jim also earned a nomination for Best Instrumental Arrangement for the Gershwin tune 'Nice Work If You Can Get It.' Album Allmusic ; Discogs.
Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra & Jim McNeely, Nice Work, full album: Spotify
McNeely has led >25 , played on >140, and arranged for >100 albums since 1966. Jim earned a Grammy as part of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, with 12 more nominations. He was chief conductor of the DRJO/DRBB from 1998 - 2002. His piano chops placed him in the Stan Getz Quartet for 4 years and the Phil Woods Quintet for 6. Jim's website ; Wikipedia ; Allmusic ; Discogs.
The jazz big band of The Danish Broadcasting Corporation was established in 1964 and has been renamed several times, with >70 albums. The complete discography is spread over at least these 2 iterations. DRJO Discogs. DRBB website ; Wikipedia ; Allmusic ; Discogs.
Niels Jørgen Steen conducted the DRJO on their 1999 Duke Ellington centennial tributeThe Governor. This is an energetic and fun album. Discogs. Niels has been active in Danish jazz since 1958, with >100 composer/writer/pianist/conductor credits. His piano chops are exhibited with > 10 albums with saxophone legend Ben Webster. Niels Discogs ; Wikipedia.
Dutch Radio Jazz Orchestra & Niels Jørgen Steen, The Governor, full album: YouTube ; Spotify ; Bandcamp
Danish pianist/composer/bandleader Ole Kock Hansen conducted the DRJO/BB for ~5 albums from 1995 - 2000. The 1999 album Ways Of Seeing: Live At The Basement, Sydney, captures a hot, straight-ahead show from Down Under. Audio could be crisper, but overall is just fine. Album Discogs. Ole's Discogs.
Dutch Radio Jazz Orchestra & Ole Kock Hansen, Ways Of Seeing, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
The DRBB shows they are a team effort, as the conductor from the 3rd album above leads an entire concert of music from the 2nd album, 7 years before either. A wonderful show from 1992, with nice sound. Trombonist Buster Cooper and trumpeter Clark Terry guest and solo, and the band's regular soloists are quite adept. 😎
Tuesday 25s,an album from Y2K / 2000, a quarter-century ago.... 😊
Saxophonist Joe Lovano's 2000 release 52nd Street Themes won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, even though he only used 9 musicians.
"....this record is a powerful reminder of the tenor giant’s debt to the
tradition. Still, the music has that unmistakable Lovano edge." David Adler/AllAboutJazz. Album Allmusic ; Discogs.
Joe has released >50 albums since 1986, with this Grammy Award win and 14 more nominations. He did another nonet album, 2003s On This Day At The Vanguard. Website ; Wikipedia ; Allmusic ; Discogs.
Joe Lovano Nonet, 52nd Street Themes, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
The 2025 Grammy Awards are Sunday, 2 February. Besides the category of Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, jazzy orchestrations were nominated in 2 other categories.
Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Orchestras, a live album with Alexander Hanson, the Brussels Philharmonic, Rudy Royston & Thomas Morgan. Bill has a Grammy, and this is his 8th nomination. Bill had a good year, as he also earned a nomination for the albumOwl Song, which he co-led with trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and drummer Herlin Riley, for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
A jazzy tribute to composer Henry Mancini at the Hollywood Bowl had a tune nominated for Best Arrangement Of An Instrumental. Michael League arranged his tune "Baby Elephant Walk - Encore", for his band Snarky Puppy (SP), a rather large jazz fusion ensemble.League has 5 Grammys with SP and this is his 8th nomination.
Henry Mancini, The 100th Sessions: Henry Has Company, full album:YouTube ; Spotify
This was nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album at the upcoming 2025 Grammy Awards.
This is a vocal-based big band album. "As he has always done in the past Orrin Evans, the pianist and bandleader from
Philadelphia, is inspired by tradition to renew and enrich, with
passion and freshness. This time the orchestrations are functional to
the interpretations of four prodigious singers who are divided into
seven out of nine songs: Lisa Fischer, Bilal, Joanna Pascale and Paul Jost ." Angelo Leonardi/AllAboutJazz. Album Discogs.
This is Evans' ~5th Captain Black Big Band (CBBB) album since ~2011, and 3 earned Grammy nominations! Orrin has ~13 more total albums, since 2000. Evans' website ; Wikipedia ; Allmusic ; Discogs. CBBB Discogs.
Orrin Evans And The Captain Black Big Band, Walk A Mile In My Shoe, full album: YouTube ; Spotify ; Bandcamp
The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (CHJO) had 3 leaders: drummer Jeff Hamilton, with the brothers altoist Jeff Clayton and bassist John. This is the band's 1st album since Jeff Clayton passed, and is dedicated to his memory. This 2023 release is nominated for a 2025 Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Album website ; Discogs.
This is the CHJO's ~14th album since 1990, and their 2nd Grammy nomination.Wikipedia ; Discogs. John Clayton website. Jeff Hamilton website.
The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, And So It Goes, full album:YouTube ; Spotify
Friday 50s, an album from about a half-century ago.... 😉or 1974.
Clarinetist/saxophonist/bandleader Woody Hermanearned Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Performance By A Big Band in 1974 and 1975 for his two 1974 releases - a nice year's work 😁. A post below celebrates his 1974 winner Thundering Herd, with more band info. Here's his 1975 winner, Herd At Montreaux.
"Herman plays soprano saxophone exclusively, leads a 15-piece band
through contemporary funk and fusion music of the day.... This prefigured the direction he would
take for most of the '70s." Michael Nastos/Allmusic. From a 1974 concert at the famous Montreaux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), the sonics could be improved, but the band cooks throughout. Album Discogs.
Woody Herman led big bands from the 1930s - 80s, with >120 albums. He won 3 Grammys with 15 more nominations. Woody's: Wikipedia ; Allmusic ; Discogs.
Woody Herman, Herd At Montreaux, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
Here's a full show, maybe from November 1973, Jazzfest Berlin, maybe from sometime in 1974. Regardless, it's a nice document of the Grammy-winnerThundering Herdin action, with really nice sound. 😎
Tuesday 25s 😁 an album from 1999,a quarter-century ago. Happy big band New Year! 😄
"Highly recommended, thoroughly enjoyable, and perhaps his magnum opus." Michael Nastos/Allmusic. This earned a 2000 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. Album Discogs.
Saxophone legend Paquito D'Rivera has released >80 albums since 1975, with 16 Grammy+Latin Grammy Awards and 33 more nominations. 😱 website ; Wikipedia ; Allmusic ; Discogs.
Copy 'Paquito' into the 'search box' for posts about 4 albums he guests on below.
Paquito D’Rivera, Tropicana Nights, full album: Spotify ; Bandcamp
This post mentions 3 albums with Grammy-cred, a new release, and 4 complete video concerts. Enough to keep you busy through the year? 😁
The Frankfurt Radio Big Band (FRBB) released two 2024 albums. This first was nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album at the upcoming 2025 Grammy Awards.
"Fans of Chick Corea's 'Return to Forever' projects will love this as both the score and the musicianship are
as superb as we’d expect from top American arranger John Beasley and the peerless FRBB.... The gorgeous section playing,
a pleasure in itself, once again sets the scene here for the
wonderfully well-crafted solos." David Shiers/UKJazzNews
John Beasley & Frankfurt Radio Big Band, Returning To Forever, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
This is FRBBs 3rd Grammy nomination, and Beasley’s 13th, with 2 wins. Beasley’s website; Discogs. A post below celebrates the Grammy success of John's 2022 album with the SWR Big Band Bird Lives & his 2021 album MONK’estra Plays John Beasley.
Here is a video concert of the entire new album, tunes rearranged, from March 2022.
FRBBs latest release is Turning Point, led by pianist Sebastian Sternal. "Dazzling tonal colors, catchy melodies and energetic grooves. The outstanding soloists of the FRBB shine." Schott-music.
Sebastian Sternal & HR-Bigband, Turning Point, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
The FRBB, also known as the ‘HR-Big Band,’ is a project of Hessian Radio, Germany. They have released ~19 albums since 2007. Their YouTubechannel (please subscribe); website; Discogs.
"Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos (OJM) ... has had the support of Matosinhos, Portugal, since 1999. It ... continually invests in the development of
diversified artistic projects, coherent training projects and in the
publishing of Portuguese jazz records. A pioneer in a largely unexplored
territory, OJM fulfills the role of National Jazz Orchestra." OJM website ; Discogs. OJM has released at least 13 albums since 2006.
OJM released two albums in 2024. A long one and short one for a total of 2 hours of new big band jazz! 😁These are on Big Band 2024 at Spotify/JazzTodayish.
On the first, five arrangers wrote really nice charts for twelve Brazilian songs. Directed by Pedro Guedes and drummer Kiko Freitas guests.Nailor Proveta's arrangement ofthe song "Linha de Passe" earned a 2024 Latin Grammy Award nomination for Best Arrangement.Album Discogs.
Orquestra Jazz De Matosinhos, Músicas Brasileiras, Músicos Portugueses, full album: YouTube ; Spotify ; Bandcamp
“We can’t talk about the history of jazz orchestras in Portugal without
talking about the important role of Zé Eduardo. His compositions traverse landscapes of the 70s and 80s - a swing, a bossa, a bolero - along with a quarantine-inspired composition." HighResAudio. Chris Cheek guests on sax.
Orquestra Jazz De Matosinhos, Farol: Musica de Carlos Azevedo, full album: YouTube ; Spotify ; Bandcamp
Two hours of wonderful Portuguese big band still not enough? Here's a nice video of an entire show of the Músicas album, from 2019. 😎
Friday 50s 😁 an album from a half-century ago.... A more recent release, an album from 1964 (60 years ago!) and a full concert round-out this tribute.
Dec 12th was pianist/big band composer-arranger-bandleader Toshiko Akiyoshi's 95th birthday. Here's her last big band release, from 2007, with the SWR Big Band, Let Freedom Swing. Album info Discogs ; Wikipedia. She leads the band through charts of her classic big band compositions.
Toshiko Akiyoshi And The SWR Big Band, Let Freedom Swing, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
The band was based in Los Angeles from 1973-82, then New York thru 2003 (with several name variations), and released ~17 studio albums. This Down Beat magazine and Grammy info attests to the band's popularity (Wikipedia info/links):
The 1980 Grammy-nominated album Kogun was actually a 1974 release, and is the actual subject of today's post. You know, Friday 50s, an album from 50 years ago... 😁
"Koguneasily displays why Akiyoshi is such a treasure. It's a record
that is simultaneously driving, romantic, and experimental, seductive in
its implications and undeniable in its swing." Daniel Gioffre/AllMusic. Album Discogs ; Wikipedia. TABB Discogs ; Allmusic. Toshiko Allmusic ; Discogs. Lew Tabackin Allmusic ; Discogs.
Digital availability of TABB albums was sketchy until recently. Kogun is available on YouTube as a CD-rip in one large file. Several 1970s TALTBB albums are now on Spotify, so check your service.
Toshiko Akiyoshi - Lew Tabackin Big Band, Kogun, full album: YouTube rip ; Spotify
Friday 50s extended a decade takes us to 1964 and the album Toshiko Mariano And Her Big Band, Jazz In Japan Recorded In Tokyo. Released also as Toshiko And Modern Jazz, this featured a preview of big band excellence-to-come with 4 tunes, along with 3 piano trio tunes. Toshiko was married to jazz saxophonist Charlie Mariano(Wikipedia ; Discogs) at the time, and their daughter is vocalist/flutist Monday Michiru(Wikipedia ; Discogs).
Toshiko released her first album in 1952. She plans a 2025 tour of Japan with husband Lew, as a duo! Lew is a young man at only 84. My jazz heroes. 💕
Toshiko Akiyoshi, Toshiko And Modern Jazz, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
Trumpeter Clark Terry guests with the Toshiko Akiyoshi - Lew Tabackin Big Band at the 1975 Monterey Jazz Festival main stage. The bearded tenor sax soloist is Toshiko's husband Lew Tabackin. The video is aged and ends a bit abruptly, but the sound is absolutely fine.
To top off this love-fest 😍, here is a full show of the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra from 1993, which was released on DVD as Strive For Jive. Toshiko makes a few comments. Video is dated but the sound is fine. 😎
Tuesday 25s 😁 an album from a quarter-century ago....
Trumpeter Tom Harrell's 1999 big band album Time's Mirrorearned a 2000 Grammy Award nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance(album).
"Harrell's regular pianist Xavier Davis, saxophonist Don Braden, and trombonist Conrad Herwig
are standouts in terms of their solo spots and this tight ensemble, some
17 strong, manages to nail Harrell's charts with a precision that
belies their relative difficulty." C.A. Hovan/AllAboutJazz. Album Allmusic ; Discogs ; Wikipedia
Harrell has released >65 albums since 1976, and has won multiple Trumpeter of the Year awards from DownBeatmagazine. Tom's website ; Wikipedia ; Allmusic ; Discogs.
Tom Harrell, Time's Mirror, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
San Francisco-based saxophonist Miguel Zenon's2024 albumGolden Cityearned a 2025 Grammy Award nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Recorded with a nonet, Zenon now has >20 Grammy/Latin Grammy nominations. He won Best Latin Jazz Album last year for his duet release with pianist Luis Pedromo, El Arte Del Bolero, Vol. 2.
"Thematically and instrumentally challenging and complex, featuring a
nonet heavy on the low-end brass (trombones, tuba, trumpet), Golden Cityis a triumph.... The album is Miguel Zenon at his creative peak." Dan McClenaghan/AllAboutJazz. Musicians include trumpeter Diego Urcola and trombonist Alan Ferber.
Retrospective 1999, which features an album from a quarter-century ago... (Tuesday 25s 😁)
"Lalo Schifrin's Latin Jazz Suiteis a masterful celebration of
the diverse and colorful sounds and feelings that Latin forms add to the
jazz vocabulary. It is also a reflection of the composer's successful
contributions to the Latin musical language over the last four decades." Douglas Payne/AllAboutJazz.
Recorded in concert with the WDR Big Band,guests include trumpeter Jon Faddis, saxophonist David Sanchez and percussionist Alex Acuna. The song ‘Fiesta’ earned a 2000 Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Arrangement.
Pianist/composer Lalo Schifrin has released >140 jazz, classical and film score albums since the 1950s. He is a five-time Grammy Award winner; he has been nominated for six Academy Awards (and received an 'honorary Oscar') and four Emmy Awards. Lalo's website; Discogs.
Lalo Schifrin, Latin Jazz Suite, full album: YouTube; Spotify
