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 info links at: Wikipedia; website; Discogs; Bandcamp as available. Links to the full album on: basic/free YouTube; subscription Spotify; purchase download Bandcamp. Check your favorite service. Please enjoy!
This 2022 release is nominated for a 2024 Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. The awards are on 4 February.
Album info from their website: “The flagship repertory ensemble Mingus Big Band (MBB) celebrated the 100th anniversary of Mingus’ birth with The Charles Mingus Centennial Sessions. Highlights include 11 compositions and new arrangements, vocals and narrations by Charles’ son Eric Mingus, and 34 first-class musicians, rotating in MBB tradition.”
This is MBB’s ~11th album since 1993. They’ve won a Grammy with 6 more nominations. The MBB is a project of the Charles Mingus Institute. They play ~weekly at DROM in NYC. Discogs; website.
Mingus Big Band, The Charles Mingus Centennial Sessions, full album: YouTube; Spotify; Bandcamp
A review of last year’s instrumental big-bandy Grammy nominees and winners follows below. The 2024 Grammy Awards are February 4.
Here’s a nominee for the 2023 Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.
SWRis a public radio broadcaster in Stuttgart, Germany, and sponsors The SWR Big Band, which has released ~55 albums since 1997, many in collaboration with jazz giants.Their 2022 album Bird Lives, with pianist John Beasley as arranger, earned an album nod, plus 2 others.
Beasley won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement for the album tune ‘Scrapple From The Apple.’ The tune ‘Cherokee/Koko’ was nominated for Best Jazz Performance. This was SWR’s 3rd nomination, Beasley’s 12th and 2nd win. SWR Discogs. Beasley’s website; Discogs.
Magnus Lindgren, John Beasley & SWR Big Band, Bird Lives, full album: YouTube; Spotify; Bandcamp
John Beasley's previous large ensemble project, MONK'estra Plays John Beasley, was nominated for the same award in 2021. The tune ‘Dona Lee’ won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement.
John Beasley, MONK'estra Plays John Beasley, full album: YouTube; Spotify
The review of last year’s instrumental big-bandy Grammy nominees and winners continues. The 2024 Grammy Awards are February 4.
Ron Carter and the Jazzaar Festival Big Band released Remembering Bob Freedman, and earned a nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. The Jazzaar Festival is a spring Swiss jazz-fest that has run since ~1997, with an emphasis on jazz education and youth.
From the festival website: "The album features the bass legend Ron Carter with acclaimed jazz instrumentalists trumpeter Ryan Quigley, saxophonist Antonio Hart, trombonist Jason Jackson, pianist Donald Vega, and drummer Carl Allen, as seasoned role models for twelve selected aspiring young jazz musicians from the Swiss music scene that completed the big band… The production was a long-awaited collaboration between Jazzaar Festival producer, Bob Freedman, and Ron Carter, which took a sudden tragic turn when Bob sadly passed away in the middle of planning." Hence, the album title. Ron’s: website ; Discogs. Freedman’s Discogs.
Ron Carter & the Jazzaar Festival Big Band, Remembering Bob Freedman, full album: YouTube ; Spotify
Ron Carter has 2 previous big band albums. Both are worth a listen, as are most Ron Carter projects.
From the album’s press-release: “Ron Carter chose ten pieces and … Richard DeRosa, principal conductor of the WDR Big Band, contributed the arrangements. The result is a sound, which pays attention to the lush big band tone as well as to the fine and sophisticated solo parts and allows both to fully bloom.” 2013 recordings released in 2016.
Ron Carter & WDR Big Band, My Personal Songbook, full album: YouTube; Spotify
Ken Dryden/Allmusic: “Ron Carter is … the most recorded bassist in jazz [>2000 session credits]. In his 70s at the time of these sessions, he is very much still at the top of his game as he leads the first big-band date of his own, with potent arrangements by conductor Bob Freedman with some of New York's busiest musicians, including Jerry Dodgion, Steve Wilson, Wayne Escoffery, and Scott Robinson in the woodwind section, brass players Steve Davis, Douglas Purviance, and Greg Gisbert, plus pianist Mulgrew Miller and drummer Lewis Nash… With this delightful big-band date, the veteran bassist continues to surprise and delight listeners.” From 2011.
The review of last year’s instrumental big-bandy Grammy nominees and winners continues. The 2024 Grammy Awards are February 4.
This album earned several classical music nominations at the 2023 Latin Grammys, but is a nice jazz + classical fusion, known as ‘3rd stream.’
The tune ‘Concerto Venezolano,’ written by saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera won for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. Paquito, who also guests, wrote the tune for trumpeter Pacho Flores.
The song ‘Crónicas Latinoamericanas’ was nominated for Best Arrangement, Daniel Freiberg, arranger. This was a Best Classical Music Album nominee also.
The review of last year’s instrumental big-bandy Grammy nominees and winners continues. The 2024 Grammy Awards are February 4.
The band Snarky Puppy won their 5th Grammy Award in 2023, and 5 more nominations, for Best
Contemporary Instrumental Album, Empire Central. This Grammy category is
often smooth jazz and jazz fusion.
What is a Snarky Puppy? FromWikipedia: "The band was formed as a 10-piece group by bassist Michael League at the University of North Texas in 2004...The group has grown into an international super-band made up of '...a wide-ranging assemblage of musicians known affectionately as 'The Fam.' In more than 17 years since its founding, about 40 players have performed... in 'The Fam,' and 6 of the 10 original members are regulars." They rotate through 19 players on this album, and this is their ~39th release since 2005! Discogs.
The album was recorded, over several days, live in a club. For the video, at least, the feed is mixed and fed out to the crowd, who listen through wired headphones, somehow (!). A link to a YouTube playlist of 7 of the album tunes played live is included in addition to the usual album playlist.
The review of last year’s instrumental big-bandy Grammy nominees and winners continues. The 2024 Grammy Awards are February 4.
The song 'Waltz of the Flowers' from this album was nominated for a 2023 Latin Grammy for Best Arrangement, Joe McCarthy & Vince Norman, arrangers. One last dash of holiday cheer. 😊
Richard J Salvucci/AllAboutJazz: “Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn did a jazz take on ‘The Nutcracker Suite’ in 1960… Drummer Joe McCarthy and arranger Vince Norman 2022 return to the original source, performed by the New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band… This Christmas album is distinctive, different, and delightful.” A 2022 release. ~39 minutes, like an old-school LP. Joe’s Discogs.
Joe McCarthy's Afro Bop Alliance Big Band, The Pan American Nutcracker Suite, full album: YouTube; Spotify
The review of last year’s instrumental big-bandy Grammy nominees and winners continues. The 2024 Grammy Awards are February 4.
This won the 2023 Latin Grammy for Best Instrumental Album, and Rafael Valencia won Best Arrangement for the song ‘Songo Bop!’
Dan Bilawsky/AllAboutJazz: “Blending elements sourced from numerous musical styles and languages including salsa, pop, samba, jazz and R&B, among others, multi-instrumentalist Camilo Valencia and drummer Richard Bravo create unique and flavorful dishes served hot by a rotating cast… Miami has so much music to share and influence to bear, and Camilo Valencia and Richard Bravo bring that truth to light for all to hear.” ~27 musicians rotate to provide most tunes with a big band on this 2022 release. This is a hot album!
Both their Discogs show this as their only release, but Camilo has arranged and played since 1979, and Richard since 1994. Camilo has a Latin Grammy and another nomination, while Richard has won 3 Latin Grammys with 5 more nominations. Camilo’s Discogs, Richard’s Discogs.
Camilo Valencia & Richard Bravo, Made In Miami, full album: YouTube; Spotify
WDRis a public broadcasting network based in Cologne, Germany. Besides television and radio stations, they sponsor several musical groups, one of which is the well-respected WDR Big Band. With their broadcasting connection, the band continually produces impeccably recorded performances, many of which areavailable on YouTube. The unit is absolutely prolific, and have released over 25 albums since 2013, often in collaboration with jazz stars. Website ; Discogs
They earned Grammy Award nominations for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 2022 and 2023. The band partnered with drummer Steve Gadd, bari sax player Ronnie Cuber (RIP), and bassist Eddie Gomez on the album Center Stage, for their 2023 nod. The video above is an album tune performed in-studio.
Steve Gadd, Eddie Gomez, Ronnie Cuber & WDR Big Band, Center Stage, full album: YouTube; Spotify
The big band’s collaborators for their 2022 nod were the all-time great band Yellowjackets, for Jackets XL. The album was inevitable, as Yellowjackets’ tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer has served as the big band's musical director, on and off, since 2014. The video is an in studio performance of an album tune.
Bob Mintzer did at least 1 other album with WDRBB, Soundscapes, in 2021. Jack Bower/AllAboutJazz: “A luminous showcase for his singular talents as composer, arranger and soloist… he will find a way to swing.” The video is the title track.
Pianist/vocalist Ricky Peterson joined Bob and the band for 2018s Drop Shot. Peterson recorded multiple albums with Prince and played with saxophonist David Sanborn for ~20 years. This was his 5th as leader.
Ricky Peterson with Bob Mintzer & WDR Big Band, Drop Shot, full album: YouTube; Spotify
Happy New Year everyone! The Grammy Awards are 4 February 2024. This continues the overview of last year's nominees, winners and associated albums.
Jim Hynes/MakingAScene!: “Catalyst is the new album for Steven Feifke, where he does all the heavy lifting as pianist, composer, arranger, orchestrator, bandleader, and producer. Feifke became the youngest ever Grammy winner for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 2023… Catalyst will only further his growing reputation, especially as an arranger.”
This is his ~7th album since 2015 (5 big band), plus alotta session jobs, and work with saxophonist Alexa Tarantino. He is all of 32 years old… Wikipedia. Discogs is disorganized. The YouTube link for this album has 8 of the 10 tunes played live-in-studio.
Steven Feifke, Catalyst, full album: free YouTube; Spotify
Here is his Grammy-winner album Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra (GGJO).
The album cover shows the quality players involved. Jack Bowers/AllAboutJazz: "GGJO, co-led with trumpeter par excellence Bijon Watson, is a 17-member ensemble comprisingseasoned players paired with young lions whose … debut album is sharp and radiant from start to finish. " A Zoom performance of the 3rd album tune is shown.
Steven Feifke & Bijon Watson, Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra, full album: free YouTube; Spotify; Bandcamp
His 2021 big band album Kinetic is aptly titled. This was the 1st of his hat-trick of excellent big band jazz albums! Jack Bowers/AllAboutJazz: “Feifke's intense and high-powered charts neatly pave the way, giving the band a well-drawn road map on which to shape its dynamic course.” The YT link has videos of the entire album played live-in-studio, with the title-tune shown below.
