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!
Tuesday 25s,an album from Y2K / 2000, a quarter-century ago.... 😊
"Birdlandis a project setup by pianist Masanori Sasajiand a group of LA (studio) musicians." Sessiondays. The album cover promises L.A. All Stars and delivers, with saxophonists Ernie Watts, Brandon Field and Jack Nimitz, trumpeter Wayne Bergeron, trombonists Andy Martin and Bill Reichenbach, bassist Abraham Laboriel and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, among others. Solid section-work and the nice solos make this a solid big band product. Album Discogs.
Masanori Sasajiis a Japanese keyboardist/composer/arranger/scorer/producer who works in jazz, J-Pop, rock, fusion, anime and tv/film.His Wikipedia page would indicate his Discogs only scratches the surface. Mr. Sasaji did another L.A. All Stars album in 2002, Afro Blue, with players like saxophonist Pete Christlieb and drummer Peter Erskine.
M. Sasaji & L.A. All Stars, Birdland, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
Tuesday 25s,an album from Y2K / 2000, a quarter-century ago.... 😊
"....composer/conductor/arrangers Quincy Jones and Sammy Nestico, both of whom wrote for the Count Basie Orchestra, assemble a top-flight big band to perform some of their vintage charts.... Both Jones and Nestico are steeped in the Basie band's light, rhythmic approach to playing and their music is imbued with that style." William Ruhlmann/Allmusic. Album Discogs.
The orchestra includes: drummer Vinny Colaiuta; flutist Hubert Laws; saxophonists Ernie Watts, Kirk Whalum, Gerald Albright, Pete Christlieb; trombonists Bill Reichenbach, Bill Watrous; trumpeters Oscar Brashear and Wayne Bergeron, and many others.
This album mines the souls of 3 jazz giants.
Quincy Jones was a trumpeter/composer/arranger/bandleader/film scorer who released >90 albums and scores/soundtracks from ~1953 to 2010. He won 28 Grammy Awards, an Emmy, and a Tony, as well as nominations for 7 Academy and 4 Golden Globe and 80 more Grammy Awards. website ; Wikipedia ; Allmusic ; Discogs
Sammy Nestico was a trombonist/composer/arranger/film and television scorer who arranged for the Count Basie Orchestra (CBO) from 1967 to 1984, when they won 4 Grammys, and Sammy had 4 more nominations for his solo work. He orchestrated 'The Color Purple' and TVs 'M*A*S*H', and did 5 albums with the SWR Big Band. Read his Wiki page - prolific is an understatement!website ; Wikipedia ; Allmusic ; Discogs
Count Basiewas a pianist/bandleader/composer who formed the CBO in 1935 and led it until his death in 1984. Basie won 9 Grammys with 20 nominations, and released hundreds of recordings. He and Duke Ellington are the 2 most historically significant big band leaders. Basie'sWikipedia ; Allmusic ; Discogs
The Count Basie Orchestra won the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for their album Basie Swings The Blues, directed by Scotty Barnhart. The CBO has been in ~continuous existence since 1935! A post below celebrates this album and has more CBO info, and a video. 😎
The Quincy Jones - Sammy Nestico Orchestra, Basie & Beyond, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
Tuesday 25s,an album from Y2K / 2000, a quarter-century ago.... 😊
"....a program of pop, jazz, and R&B hits, most of them coming from the artists of the era: Notorious B.I.G., Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Bob Marley, Babyface, India Arie,
and others.... The aplomb, taste, and exquisite sense of empathy
for this music is everywhere in Bowie's arrangements.... This is a fitting final project, and
easily the most consistent and realized of all the Brass Fantasy (BF) albums." Thom Jurek/Allmusic ; Wikpedia ; Discogs. This had >1 album cover.
Lester Bowie Brass Fantasy:
Drums – Vinnie Johnson
French Horn – Vincent Chancey
Guest, Vocals – Dean Bowman
Percussion – Victor See Yuen
Trombone – Gary Valente, Luis Bonilla
Trumpet – Gerald Brazel, Lester Bowie, Joseph "Mac" Gollehon, Ravi Best
Tuba – Bob Stewart
BF released ~9 albums from ~1984 - '00. Discogs. BF was a project of trumpet legend Lester Bowie, who released ~24 more albums from ~1978 - '00. He was a founder of the avant-gardeArt Ensemble of Chicago, who released >50 albums from ~'66 - '99. So, Lester released >80 albums across ~33 years. Busy dude. 😁Wikipedia ; Allmusic ; Discogs.
Lester Bowie Brass Fantasy, When The Spirit Returns, 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
