The 14 Jazz Orchestra - ‘Islands’

Retrospective 2020s, a 2023 release.

Nicholas Mondello/AllAboutJazz: “Islands from Dan Bonsanti is a tour de force consisting of eleven unique selections, colorful textured arrangements, and outstanding ensemble and solo playing.”

 

The 14 Jazz Orchestra: Dan Bonsanti, composer/conductor; Ed Calle, Ed Maina, Peter Brewer, Mike Brignola, saxophones; Brett Murphey, Jason Carder, John Lovell, trumpet; Dana Teboe, Major Bailey, trombone; Mike Levine, piano; Lindsey Blair, guitar. Guests include Dave Liebman on sax, Peter Erskine on drums and Mike Mainieri on vibes.

This is the Orchestra’s 4th album since 2015. Discogs.

The 14 Jazz Orchestra, Islands, full album: YouTube ; Spotify

This is on Jazz Best Albums 2023 and Big Band 2023 at Spotify/Jazz Todayish.  😎

Steven Feifke & Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra - YouTube song - ‘I’ve Got Algorithm’

Pianist, big band composer/arranger, Grammy Award winner Steven Feifke posted his tune ‘I’ve Got Algorithm’ recently, with Steven Feifke and Bijon Watson's Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra.

YouTube: “The longstanding tradition … of hiring the ‘young guns’ for an ensemble has all but disappeared in recent years... With more than two decades between them, Steven and Bijon make the objective of ‘The Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra’ to strengthen that tradition of mentorship that has shaped and defined the jazz idiom since its earliest beginnings.”

From the New Trier Jazz Festival, Winnetka, IL, USA, 3 February 2024. See YouTube for band-members.

A post below celebrates Steven Feifke’s last 3 big band albums and Grammy Award: Catalyst; Generation Gap Orchestra; Kinetic.

Two of Feifke’s band-members released big band albums discussed below:

Trombonist Javier Nero Kemet: The Black Land.

Trumpeter Derrick Gardner Still I Rise.  😎

Big Band 2024 new albums.

Added these albums to Big Band 2024, now ~5 albums, at Spotify/JazzTodayish. Check your streaming service, YouTube or Bandcamp. Good big band jazz here.

Garry Dial & Rich DeRosa, Keep Swingin’. Paris Move .

Adam Schroeder & Mark Masters, CT! Celebrate Clark Terry. Stage And Cinema.

 

Paul Dunmall Quintet & Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Big Band, Soultime Again. London Jazz News.

Joe Gallardo & SWR Big Band, It Is What It Is. YouTube.

Frankfurt Radio Big Band with Mark Turner - YouTube song - ‘Lennie Groove’

The Frankfurt Radio Big Band, with saxophonist Mark Turner, posted the tune ‘Lennie Groove’ recently. It is a Turner composition, arranged by Jim McNeely, Christine Jenson conductor. This band is also known as the ‘hr Big Band.’

This is from an almost 2 hour concert available here on YouTube, from 9 March 2023. The show is being posted song-by-song, evidently.

The hr Big Band / Frankfurt Radio Big Band is a project of Hessian Radio, Germany. They have released ~19 albums since 2007. YouTube channel (please subscribe); website ; Discogs  😎

Marshall Gilkes & WDR Big Band - YouTube song - ‘Back In The Groove’

Here’s a tune from an album discussed 5 posts down on 7 February.

YouTube: “Featured on the new album LifeSongs…. Marshall Gilkes performs his composition ‘Back In The Groove’ together with the WDR BIG BAND. Solos are played by Johan Hörlén on alto saxophone and Billy Test on piano. Recorded as part of the concert ‘Fresh Start’ at WDR JAZZCLUB / Cologne in November 2022.”

The WDR Big Band is a project of WDR Broadcasters in Cologne, Germany. They have released >75 albums since 1979. YouTube channel (please subscribe); website ; Discogs ; Wikipedia 

Posts below about WDR Big Band albums: with trombonist Marshall Gilkes; 4 albums of Steve Gadd et al & Bob Mintzer collaborations; with arranger Chuck Owens; with bassist Ron Carter.  😎

Frankfurt Radio Big Band with Mark Turner - YouTube song - ‘It’s Not Alright With Me’

 

The Frankfurt Radio Big Band, with saxophonist Mark Turner, posted the tune ‘It’s Not Alright With Me’ recently. It is a Turner composition, arranged by Jim McNeely, Christine Jenson conductor. This band is also known as the ‘hr Big Band.’

This is from an almost 2 hour concert available here on YouTube, from 9 March 2023. The show is being posted song-by-song, evidently.

The hr Big Band / Frankfurt Radio Big Band is a project of Hessian Radio, Germany. They have released ~19 albums since 2007. YouTube channel (please subscribe); website ; Discogs  😎

 

Doug Beavers - ‘Luna’

Retrospective 2020s. Here's a nice 2023 album.

 

George Harris/JazzWeekly: “Trombonist, composer and arranger Doug Beavers mixes medium and big sized bands on this sophisticatedly arranged album… Rich charts.”

From his website: “... perform, arrange and record for Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Christian McBride, Mingus Big Band, Ruben Blades, Típica ’73, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Paul Simon, Willie Colón, and countless others. As a leader, he’s recorded six critically acclaimed albums; his 2017 release, Art of the Arrangement, earned a Grammy nomination.” Doug's Discogs ; Bandcamp.

Doug Beavers, Luna, full album: YouTube ; Spotify ; Bandcamp

 
This is on Jazz Best Albums 2023 and Big Band 2023 at Spotify/Jazz Todayish.  😎

Marshall Gilkes & WDR Big Band - YouTube song - ‘Cora’s Tune’

Here’s a song from an album discussed just 2 posts below on 7 February.

YouTube: “Featured on the new album LifeSongs…. Recorded November 2022 in the WDR Funkhaus Studio 4, Cologne, Germany.”

The WDR Big Band is a project of WDR Broadcasters in Cologne, Germany. They have released >75 albums since 1979. YouTube channel (please subscribe); website ; Discogs ; Wikipedia 

Posts below about WDR Big Band albums: with trombonist Marshall Gilkes; 4 albums of Steve Gadd et al & Bob Mintzer collaborations; with arranger Chuck Owens; with bassist Ron Carter.  😎

Frankfurt Radio Big Band with Mark Turner - YouTube song - ‘Brother Sister II’

 The Frankfurt Radio Big Band, with saxophonist Mark Turner, posted the tune ‘Brother Sister II’ recently. It is a Turner composition, arranged by Jim McNeely, Christine Jenson conductor. This band is also known as the ‘hr Big Band.’

This is from an almost 2 hour concert available here on YouTube, from 9 March 2023. The show is being posted song-by-song, evidently.

The hr Big Band / Frankfurt Radio Big Band is a project of Hessian Radio, Germany. They have released ~19 albums since 2007. YouTube channel (please subscribe); website ; Discogs  😎

Marshall Gilkes & WDR Big Band - ‘Life Songs’

Time for a 2024 release. Based on the December & January posts below, it is wholly appropriate that it is from this band.

Jack Bowers/AllAboutJazz: “Marshall Gilkes spent the years 2010-13 in the WDR Big Band trombone section, shortly before he and the ensemble released Koln in 2015 [2x Grammy nominated] and Always Forward in 2018…. This is big-band jazz at its peak, marvelously written by Gilkes and masterfully performed by the impressive WDR Big Band.”

Soloists include: Billy Test, piano; Andy Haderer, trumpet; Johan Horlen & Paul Heller, saxes; fellow trombonists Ludwig Nuss, Raphael Klemm and Andy Hunter. The video is an album tune performed in-studio.

This is Marshall’s 7th album since 2008. He did a 4th big band album with the United States Air Force Band Airmen Of Note, The Jazz Heritage Series 2018 Radio Broadcasts, with drummer Peter Erskine and other guests. Marshall's Discogs ; website

The WDR Big Band is a project of WDR Broadcasters in Cologne, Germany. They have released >75 albums since 1979. YouTube channel (please subscribe); website ; Discogs

Marshall Gilkes & WDR Big Band, LifeSongs, full album: YouTube ; Spotify ; Bandcamp

This is on Jazz Best Albums 2024 and Big Band 2024, at Spotify/Jazz Todayish. 

Posts below about WDR Big Band albums: 4 albums of Steve Gadd et al & Bob Mintzer collaborations; with arranger Chuck Owens; with bassist Ron Carter.  😎