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!
Retrospective 1999, with an album from a quarter-century ago. (Tuesday 25s 😁)
"Saxophonist Phil Woods may be at his best when working over tunes familiar to his
audience. This collection of ten classic Porgy and Bess songs is just
such an instance... On this
occasion, Woods was accompanied by an excellent Italian big band." David Franklin/JazzTimes. Album Discogs ; Allmusic.
Alto saxophonist Phil Woods was a jazz giant active from the 1950s into the 2010s. He played in prominent 1950s big bands (Gil Evans Orchestra), and then primarily led his own groups later. He guested on and occasionally led big band albums throughout his career. Wikipedia ; Discogs ; Allmusic ; website.
Jazz Class Orchestra Meets Phil Woods, Porgy and Bess, 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 1974, with an album from a half-century ago… (Friday 50s 😁)
Thom Jurek/AllAboutJazz: “It's difficult to note in the 21st century just how forward-thinking this avant-garde big band was, and how completely innovative saxophonist Sam Rivers' compositions are…. It is an underrated masterpiece and among the most rewarding and adventurous listening experiences in the history of jazz.” A piano-less big band (Wikipediafor correct musicians).
This was Rivers’ ~6th of >30 albums from 1965 to 2005. Sam’s big band work earned him 2 Grammy nominations.Discogs.
Two of Sam's Grammy-nominated albums with the Rivbea Orchestra are posted below, for 'Retrospective 1999 - albums from a quarter-century ago...' Inspiration and Culmination.
Retrospective 1999, with an album from a quarter-century ago.
Culmination was avant-garde saxophonist/composer/arranger Sam Rivers second big band album of 1999. These were his first albums in ~20 years, and the first 2 of 4 total with the Rivbea Orchestra. The album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, as did Inspiration, a year earlier, which earlier earned a post below.
David Adler at AllAboutJazz: “You can practically hear the 70s loft scene come to life as Rivers and
the other strong soloists on this record — Steve Coleman, Greg Osby,
Gary Thomas, and Hamiet Bluiett among them — take turns navigating the
atonal contours of these compositions. Yet another elliptically eloquent
statement from Rivers, one of the most refreshingly radical improvisers
of our time.”
This is really nice big band, with a bit of a wildstreak. Rivers released >40 albums from 1965-2005, with a few seminal big band albums.Discogs.
'Rivbea' is a combo of Sam’s and his wife Beatrice's name, and she helps arrange.
Sam Rivers' Rivbea Orchestra, Culmination, full album: YouTube; Spotify
The Orchestre National De Jazz is a progressive French big band that has released ~35 albums since 1986. Their latest endeavors delve into prog-rock and artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted compositions. Discogs; website; YouTube; Bandcamp
Their 2023 album Ex Machina, with composer/saxophonist Steve Lehman, used an AI program as a pre-compositional tool. Karl Ackermann/AllAboutJazz: “ Seamlessly incorporated with acoustic and electronic instrumentation, the elements blend together as … a baffling and beautiful juggling act.”
Big Band Stories is saxophonist Fredrik Nordström’s 2nd big band album. Mark Corroto/AllAboutJazz: “Nordström's gift is his ability to leave space in this music for the solos to develop…. While Nordström solos on six tracks, he also gives generous attention to the skilled ensemble players assembled.” The band is ~northern European players.
Fredrik has released >13 albums since 2000, with Vibb, in 2007, his other big band release. Website. Discogs.
Retrospective 1999, with an album from a quarter-century ago.
Inspiration was avant-garde saxophonist/composer/arranger Sam Rivers first album in ~20 years, and one of two 1999 releases of 4 total with the Rivbea Orchestra. The album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, as did his next release, Culmination, a year later.
Stephen Erlewine/AllAboutJazz: “Inspiration truly is a revelation, proving not only that Rivers retains all his creative power at the age of 75, but that avant-garde jazz can be as inviting as any other style without sacrificing any of its depth or daring.”
This goes up to the edge of free, then re-groups, and is usually just good big band. Rivers released >40 albums from 1965-2005, with a few seminal big band albums.Discogs.
The Rivbea Orchestra: Alto Saxophone – Greg Osby, Steve Coleman; Baritone Horn – Joseph Daley; Baritone Saxophone – Hamiet Bluiett; Bass – Doug Mathews; Drums – Anthony Cole; Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Sam Rivers; Tenor Saxophone – Chico Freeman, Gary Thomas; Trombone – Art Baron, Joseph Bowie, Ray Anderson; Trumpet – Baikida Carroll, James Zollar, Ralph Alessi, Ravi Best;Tuba – Bob Stewart.
Sam’s wife Beatrice helps arrange, has a namesake song on the album, and is a part of ‘Rivbea.’
Sam Rivers & Rivbea Orchestra, Inspiration, full album: YouTube; Spotify
This nice 2024 album was mentioned as a new release ~6 posts below.
Connor McCormick/Stage and Cinema: “On CT!, baritone saxophonist and bandleader Adam Schroeder teams up with arranger Mark Masters to deliver [13 tunes] composed by renowned trumpeter Clark Terry…. The proof is in the playing, and CT! is full of the kinds of moments that Terry himself would have appreciated, created by a band full of people with a clear connection to the history of the music, to its future, and to one another.” Peter Erskine drums.
Baritone saxophonist Adam Schroeder … presently serves as an Associate Professor of Jazz & Commercial Music at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He’s a prolific studio musician with many album, television, and film credits. Website; Discogs(old)
Trumpeter/arranger Mark Masters has >15 big band releases since 1984. His most recent before this was the Mark Masters Ensemble Masters & Baron Meet Blanton & Webster. Discogs 1 ; Discogs 2.
Adam Schroeder & Mark Masters, CT! Celebrate Clark Terry, full album: YouTube; Spotify
Grammy January (see the post above) includes some February.
Today is the day for the 2024 Grammy Awards. Nominees are reviewed in posts below that run the month of January. Let’s reminisce before the show, with an album for the 50 year retrospective. This 1974 release won the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band (best album).
Scott Yanow/Allmusic: “Of all the big-band leaders of the swing era, clarinetist Woody Herman went the most out of his way to interpret current material and keep his orchestra young, enthusiastic, and modern…. This is one of Herman's most successful efforts of the period.”
Soloists are tenor Frank Tiberi, flügelhorn Tony Klatka, and keyboards Andy Laverne. Songs by John Coltrane, Frank Zappa, Stanley Clarke and Carole King. Arrangements byAlan Broadbent, Bill Stapleton and Tony Klatka.
The video is a wonderful 1974 performance of Carole King’s ‘Corazon,’ from the album.
Woody won 3 Grammys (also 1974 & 1964), a Lifetime Achievement Grammy (1987), with 12 nominations. He released >110 albums from 1944-1987. Woody’s: Discogs
That’s alotta words for 37 minutes of music. Short, but sweet.
Woody Herman, Thundering Herd, 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
The review of last year’s instrumental big-bandy Grammy nominees and winners continues. The 2024 Grammy Awards are February 4.
This was a 3rd nominee for last year’s (2023) Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Here’s links to posts below for the WDR Big Band with Steve Gadd et al Center Stage, and Grammy-winner Steven Feifke’s Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra.
From Matt Collar/AllMusic: "The 2nd album from alto saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf's big band … 2021's Architecture of Storms, is… an album of dazzling and nuanced modern creative jazz that conjures cinematic landscapes, both real and imagined."
This is Remy's 4th album, and 2 big band releases have earned him 4 Grammy nominations. The album tune ‘Minnesota, WI’ earned a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Arrangement (video above.) Remy’s: Wikipedia; Bandcamp; Discogs.
Remy Le Boeuf's Assembly of Shadows, Architecture of Storms, full album: YouTube; Spotify; Bandcamp
His 2019 big band album, Assembly of Shadows, earned Grammy nominations for the tune ‘Strata’ for Best Instrumental Composition, and the tune ‘Honeymooners’ for Best Instrumental Arrangement.
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
A retrospective of albums from 50 and 25 years ago begins with one 1973 entry. Have a listen to this beauty from saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr.
Thom Jurek/Allmusic: “Soul Box has Creed Taylor's production enhanced by a symphony orchestra and full-blown jazz band arranged and conducted by Bob James. Some of the session men include bassist Ron Carter, drummer Billy Cobham, guitarist Eric Gale, drummer Idris Muhammad, percussionist Airto, and keyboardist Richard Tee… Soul Box is a modern classic for its instrumental and arrangement invention and for its deeply emotional bounty.”
This was his 3rd of his 25 albums, from 1972-99. This was a double-album, over an hour of Grover’s finest. Much of Grover's late work is often considered ~smooth jazz, but his early albums were wonderful jazz. A Grover concert was an absolute joy to behold.Discogs.
Grover Washington, Jr., Soul Box, full album: YouTube; Spotify
Trombonist/composer/arranger/bandleader/U of Texas-Arlington professor Ryan Haines released his 4th album with his big band, Emerald and Sapphire. He wrote all but 1 tune, 4 of which were originally penned for his saxophonist wife Courtney’s 2017 album Saxophone Barbie, who also plays on his album, as he did on hers. Ryan is a music professor at Arizona State University.
Prominent players are trumpeters Kevin Burns, Pete Clagett and guest Wayne Bergeron, trombonist Alex Dubrov, tenor David Lown, guitarist Davey Mooney and drummer Stockton Helbing. Jack Bowers/AllAboutJazz: “Emerald and Sapphire readily lives up to the high standards set on Haines' first three albums. A delicious big-band smorgasbord.” The big band does a smokin’ album tune in a Zoom performance. The band at Discogs.
Ryan Haines Big Band, Emerald and Sapphire, full album: freeYouTube ; Spotify
Info is sparse for Courtney’s debut and only album, but it’s a solid straight-ahead/smooth album, with a tight band. Give a listen to the fine efforts from a couple dedicated to jazz . 😎
Courtney Haines, Saxophone Barbie, full album: freeYouTube ; Spotify
Enjoy a new big band gem by an under-recorded artist.
Marilyn Lester/NiteLifeExchange:
“...Reed
player-composer, Victor Goines, has created the thoughtful and thoroughly magnificent The Woodlawn Suite, which debuted in July 2022,” and now has an album release. “Every movement of The Woodlawn Suite is a stand-alone gem.” Woodlawn Cemetery is in NYC and is the final home for several jazz luminaries, e.g. Duke Ellington and many bandmates.
Victor Goines is co-founder of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, with
Wynton Marsalis. This is his ~11th album since 1992. He has been
director of jazz studies at Julliard and Northwestern University.
Victor'swebsite ; Discogs, which doesn't seem to be complete.
Victor Goines, The Woodlawn Suite, full album: freeYouTube ; Spotify
😎
