The Chris Walden Big Band - Home Of My Heart

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:51
Size: 176,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:27)  1. Cherokee
(6:55)  2. Rainy Day In Vancouver
(4:06)  3. Film Noir - Part I
(3:39)  4. Film Noir - Part II
(3:17)  5. Film Noir - Part III
(5:36)  6. Mulholland Falls
(6:19)  7. Here's Looking At You
(5:02)  8. Star Wars
(8:11)  9. Home Of My Heart
(3:47)  10. Feet First
(7:28)  11. Here's That Rainy Day
(2:45)  12. How Long Has This Been Going On
(3:00)  13. Nonino
(2:38)  14. You Took Advantage Of Me
(6:52)  15. Stolen Moments
(0:43)  16. Dr. Stefan Frank

German-born, Los Angeles-based composer/arranger/flugelhornist Chris Walden looks way too young to be this good at a task as daunting as big band writing. He looks almost too young to be sitting in with the band, though he is pushing the ripe old age of forty. But he started early at the art, writing big band arrangements while he was still in high school, and later putting together the charts for the Frankfurt Radio Big Band and the RIAS Big Band. Since his move to Los Angeles, he's written arrangements for Nancy Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Sheryl Crow, and Christopher Cross, and somewhere in there he's scored more than thirty feature and TV movies, including his current work scoring projects for the SciFi Channel (I thought I'd heard some good sounds there). The Chris Walden Big Band is composed of some of L.A.'s finest studio and jazz artists, and with them he's put together a marvelous debut with Home of My Heart. 

The disc is very much a traditional big band outing arrangers like Bob Belden and Don Sebesky come to mind for comparisons full of interesting song choices. The set opens with the classic "Cherokee," bright and sassy, followed by some cool and subtle harmonies on Christopher Cross's "Rainy Day in Vancouver." Dave Gruisin's "Mullholland Falls," Charlie Haden's "Here's Looking At You," a great jazzed-up version of John Williams' "Star Wars"; and vocalist Tierney Sutton sits in on Gershwin's "How Long has This Been Going On." And much more. This is 77 minutes of music, consistently fine sounds all the way, with a very cinematic feel. The highlights for me are Walden's own compositions, "Film Noir parts 1-3," and the title tune. Here's hoping for continued success for Walden in his film work, so he can bankroll nobody makes money at these big band things a big band disc of all his own material. ~ Dan McClenaghan  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/home-of-my-heart-chris-walden-origin-records-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Chris Walden (drum programming); Chris Walden (flugelhorn, programming); Christopher Cross (guitar); Rob Lockart, Rick Keller , Tom Petersen (saxophone); Kevin Richardson, Kyle Palmer (trumpet); Jacques Voyemant (trombone); Dave Carpenter (double bass); Tierney Sutton (vocals); Mitch Holder (guitar); Frank Marocco (accordion); Pete Christlieb, Jeff Driskill, Brian Scanlon, Bob Sheppard, Brandon Fields (saxophone); Wayne Bergeron, Ron King , Roger Ingram, Bobby Shew, Carl Saunders (trumpet); Alex Iles, Arturo Velasco, Richard Bullock, Bruce Otto, Bryant Byers, Bob McChesney (trombone); Alan Steinberger (piano); Tony Pia, Peter Erskine (drums); M.B. Gordy (percussion).

Home Of My Heart

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Chris Walden Big Band - Full-On!

Size: 125,8 MB
Time: 54:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Big Band
Art: Front

01. Bailout (6:14)
02. I Can Cook Too (5:06)
03. Lost In The Memory (3:27)
04. Gatsby (5:32)
05. Sir Duke (3:45)
06. Bada Bamba (5:40)
07. If I Only Knew (3:48)
08. Only The Lonely (3:15)
09. Arturo (5:56)
10. Hey Good Looking (3:02)
11. Out Of Town (4:39)
12. Ride Like The Wind (3:58)

It's been a while since the jazz world has seen a release from this group. The first three albums credited to the Chris Walden Big Band—the Grammy-nominated Home Of My Heart (Origin Records, 2005), No Bounds (Origin Records, 2006), and Kurt Marti Suite (Origin Records, 2007)—came in quick succession. And then there was silence from Walden. Well, that's not exactly true. Walden's actually been quite busy in the interim, even if his work didn't center on his own big band. He's been cranking out orchestrations and arrangements for mega-stars like Rod Stewart, Michael Bolton, Michael Buble, and numerous others, so given that information, it's perfectly understandable that it took him seven years to deliver another album from this group. It was well worth the wait.

Full-On! is a tight and crisp set of big band music with solid and swinging lines, strong solos, and superb singing. Everybody brings their A game here, expertly nailing all the kicks and hits in Walden's impeccably crafted arrangements. Everything is in its right place, but the music still retains that indefinable spark that's often absent from sessions that are as orderly as this.

The program contains a handful of Walden originals along with natty rewrites and expansions on the music of Christopher Cross, Hank Williams, Leonard Bernstein, Stevie Wonder, The Yellowjackets, and others. Half of the material focuses on the band itself while the other six songs serve as showcases for vocalists. Melanie Taylor brings high-energy to her two features ("I Can Cook Too" and "Sir Duke"), Dorian Holley adds a dose of soul—and a dash of rap—to the proceedings ("If I Only Knew,") and Tierney Sutton is ever-captivating, working in a highly controlled and nuanced environment ("Only The Lonely"). Then there's Carol Welsman, riding high through Williams' territory ("Hey Good Looking"), Siedah Garrett , passionately pushing her way through a Christopher Cross classic ("Ride Like The Wind"), and Courtney Fortune, slyly sashaying over the lone original with vocals ("Lost In The Memory").

While the band sounds great on the vocal features, it's the instrumental numbers that really give pause to admire Walden's writing and the musicians that bring it to life. "Bailout" takes off with slinky saxophones, muted trumpet punches, and low end asides, but it turns into a real swinger when the solos start; "Gatsby" is a more mellow and measured statement from the band; the cheery, Brazilian-tinged "Bada Bamba" shines a spotlight on the marriage of Bill Reichenbach's bass trombone and Jeff Driskill's flute; and "Arturo" brings the warm flugelhorn sound of special guest Arturo Sandoval into the picture.

There are no weak spots on this one and no throw-away tracks to be heard. The Chris Walden Big Band gives its all throughout Full-On! ~Dan Bilawsky

Personnel: Jeff Driskill: saxophone; Bob Sheppard: saxophone; Rob LockhartL: saxophone; Brandon Fields: saxophone; Tom Peterson: saxophone; Kim Richmond: saxophone (7, 10); Wayne Bergeron: trumpet; Kye Palmer: trumpet; Rom King: trumpet; Kevin Richardson: trumpet; Bob McChesney: trombone; Alex Iles: trombone; Paul Young: trombone; Rich Bullock: trombone; Andy Martin: trombone (7, 10); Mitch Holder: guitar; Andrew Synowiec: guitar (5); Alan Steinberger: piano, keyboards; Kenny Wild: bass; Ray Brinker: drums; M.B. Gordy: percussion.

Full-On!

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The Chris Walden Big Band - No Bounds

Time: 55:18
Size: 128.0 MB
Styles: Big Band
Year: 2006
Bitrate: 320K/s
Art: Front

[3:49] 1. Winter Games
[5:00] 2. When You Wish Upon A Star
[6:30] 3. No Bounds
[5:07] 4. People Will Say We're In Love
[4:27] 5. Clax's Theme
[6:33] 6. In The Doghouse
[3:50] 7. Try Harder
[4:16] 8. Smile
[5:13] 9. Someday My Prince Will Come
[5:14] 10. Otterkam
[5:14] 11. It's A Small World After All

The follow-up to a particularly successful debut album, No Bounds brings more of what could potentially be referred to as "contemporary" big band. Big band as a major force disappeared decades ago, and those playing now are almost entirely nostalgia-based groups playing the old standards. Chris Walden is one of a very few that has adapted the genre to fit some more contemporary ideas, and takes new directions with the large-scale format. Here, there's a mix of old and new pieces, some updated thoroughly, some hearkening back to the powerful ensembles of the '70s, and some arranged back toward a vocal standard form (with Tierney Sutton providing some nice vocal work). The album opens with a jazz version of David Foster's theme for the 2006 Winter Olympics, and moves to a relaxed rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star," the first of three Disney-related songs to appear on the album. The title track is a textural one, followed by a bit of nostalgic vocal standard. The sound shifts to a more post-bop feel, touches upon Disney again for a Miles Davis-inspired rendition of "Someday My Prince Will Come," and after an almost orchestral score, finishes on a modern and somewhat twisted rendition of "It's a Small World." The sound is a little less adventurous on this album than it was on the first, but it's still a highly refreshing take on the big-band idiom. Fine solos are provided throughout, though the way the band works together is perhaps a better indicator of the abilities showcased here. Fine playing, and even finer compositions lead this to be one of the better (and perhaps even one of the best) jazz releases of the year. ~ Adam Greenberg

Chris Walden (flugelhorn, drums); Tierney Sutton (vocals); Brian Monroney (guitar); Gayle Levant (harp); Katia Popov, Mark Sazer, Alan Grunfeld, Helen Nightengale, Pat Johnson , Jennifer Levin, Kevin Connolly, Sid Page, Jacqueline Brand, Roberto Cani, Roger Wilkie, Josephina Vergara, Tereza Stanislav (violin); Matt Funes, Brian Dembow, Keith Greene, Roland Kato, Thomas Dienner, Darrin McCann (viola); Trevor Handy, Kim Scholes, Larry Corbett, Stephen Erdody, Dane Little, Andrew Shulman (cello); Martin Tillman (electric cello); Kim Richmond, Jeff Driskill (saxophone, alto saxophone); Brandon Fields (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Tom Peterson (saxophone, baritone saxophone); Rob Lockart (saxophone); Till Brönner, Wayne Bergeron, Ron King, Carl Saunders (trumpet); Dana Kelley, Phillip Edward Yao, Steve Becknell, Brian O'Connor (French horn); Andy Martin, Alexander Iles, Arturo Velasco, Richard Bullock, Bob McChesney (trombone); Alan Steinberger, Frank Chastenier (piano); M.B. Gordy III (vibraphone, percussion); Ken Wild, Ian Walker (double bass); Gregg Field, Ray Brinker (drums).

No Bounds

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