Record Reviews

GIL EVANS ORCHESTRA ~ TRIBUTE TO GIL SOUL NOTE 121209 (Barcode: 02731212092) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1988 Released: 1989 The great American (of Canadian origin) pianist / composer / arranger / bandleader Gil EvansFind albums by this artist was one of the most influential Jazz personalities in the 20th Century. The orchestra he led and conducted, The Gil Evans OrchestraFind albums by this artist, was undoubtedly one of the most important orchestras in Jazz history, for many reasons, the most important of which being the constant innovative approach as far as the arrangements were concerned and the openness to other music genres, especially Rock, which often made the orchestra sound like a Rock Big Band, as well as the presence of young and upcoming Jazz players as members of the orchestra. In the summer of 1987 the orchestra performed in Italy and was enthusiastically welcomed by the warm Italian audiences. Following Evans´ death in March of 1988 it was decided to repeat the Italian concert series in July of 1988, as a tribute to Evans, which included appearances at the Umbria and Sicilia Jazz Festivals, where the music presented on this album was recorded. The orchestra´s lineup reads like a who´s who of American and European Jazz at the time: trumpeters Lew SoloffFind albums by this artist, Hannibal PetersonFind albums by this artist and Miles EvansFind albums by this artist (Gil´s son), saxophonists Chris HunterFind albums by this artist and Alex FosterFind albums by this artist, pianist Gil GoldsteinFind albums by this artist, guitarist Bireli LagreneFind albums by this artist, bassist Mark EganFind albums by this artist, drummer Danny GottliebFind albums by this artist and many others. For Polish Jazz enthusiasts it is worthy to mention that both vocalist Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist and violinist Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist take part in the proceedings. The music is a series of vibrant cross-genre oriented arrangements, which use a Funky rhythm section pulsation and layers of Big Band brass sound to create a unique amalgam. Four of the six tracks present music composed by Evans and are a great tribute to his compositional vision. The Dudziak / Goldstein duo is one of the absolute highlights of the album, featuring her idiosyncratic vocal / electronics pyrotechnics. Overall this is a great tribute to Evans´ contribution to Jazz music and a piece of history well deserved revisiting!

Updated: 12/09/2019Posted: 12/09/2019

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

MICHAEL GIBBS ~ NONSEQUENCE PROVOCATEUR 1027 (Barcode: 5038491102724) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2001 Released: 2001 British composer / arranger / bandleader Michael GibbsFind albums by this artist is one of the pillars of modern British Jazz. His outstanding 1970s recordings serve as musical milestones in the development of Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion composition and his bands of the period, which always included some of the best players on the scene, are remarkable achievements remembered and cherished to this very day. After the decline of the British Jazz scene Gibbs returned to the US, where he concentrated on teaching and composing works for many different media (TV, cinema, performances and concerts) in a variety of musical genres, including of course Jazz and contemporary Classical Music. Although many of his compositions were released as soundtrack albums, he recorded only three “real” / dedicated Jazz albums in the last 30 years. Therefore his new album on ProvocateurFind albums on this label Records is a major event and a delight for his many fans and admirers. The album presents an ambitious project involving a recording on two continents (Hamburg and New York) by two big ensembles (the NDR Big BandFind albums by this artist in Hamburg and a specially assembled band in NY), presenting music mostly written by Gibbs with just a few of his unique arrangements of compositions by other composers. The NY band includes some of the most illustrious names on the contemporary Jazz scene, like Lew SoloffFind albums by this artist and Randy BreckerFind albums by this artist (trumpet), Chris HunterFind albums by this artist and Alex FosterFind albums by this artist (saxophone), Hiram BullockFind albums by this artist (guitar) and Steve SwallowFind albums by this artist (bass) among others. The NDR Big Band includes many marvelous players, but most notably saxophonist Christof LauerFind albums by this artist and pianist Wladyslaw SendeckiFind albums by this artist. The music is everything one might expect from Gibbs – marvelously melodic, beautifully crafted, devilishly cleverly arranged and superbly executed by both ensembles. Gibbs skillfully gets the best out of the big band setting, using the incredible dynamics it allows for and interposing multi-layered harmonic and rhythmic structures against each other to achieve an incredibly dramatic effect. Several excellent solo parts ornament the album like cherries on a cake and the different moods and tempi never allow for even a brief dull moment. The music reflects perfectly the composer’s versatility and open-mindedness, which have always been his forte. This is one refreshing and delightful musical experience that I’d hate my friends to miss; so nothing else remains to be said other that recommending this album wholeheartedly. You won’t regret it!

CD 1 HDCD Recommend To A Friend