Showing posts with label Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra. Show all posts

Saturday, July 7, 2018

The Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra, Jim McNeely - Play Bill Evans

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:30
Size: 156.8 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2002/2012
Art: Front

[ 8:18] 1. Very Early
[ 9:42] 2. Show-Type Tune (Tune For A Lyric)
[ 7:07] 3. Blue In Green
[10:03] 4. T.T.T.T.T.T.T
[ 7:02] 5. Theme For Debby
[10:43] 6. Theme For Scotty Gloria's Step
[ 8:51] 7. Re Person I Knew
[ 6:40] 8. Turn Out The Stars

Bass – Thomas Ovesen; Drums – Søren Frost; Guitar – Anders "Chico" Lindvall; Percussion – Ethan Weisgard; Piano – Jim McNeely (tracks: 8), Nikolaj Bentzon (tracks: 1 to 7); Reeds – Flemming Madsen, Michael Hove, Nicolai Schultz, Tomas Franck, Uffe Markussen; Trombone – Alf Vestergaard, Axel Windfeld, Steen Hansen, Vincent Nilsson; Trumpet – Benny Rosenfeld, Henrik Bolberg Pedersen, Lars Lindgren, Thomas Fryland, Thomas Kjærgaard. Recorded March 20-24, 2000 at studio 3, Broadcast House Copenhagen.

Bill Evans' compositions have been interpreted in countless ways through the years, but not so often by big bands. Who better than Jim McNeely, a fine pianist and one of jazz's most imaginative arrangers, to glean fresh insights from Evans' music? Leading the fine players of the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra, McNeely sets his sights on some of Evans' strongest melodies, and he consistently finds new angles. The latent dissonance of "Very Early" is fully apparent when the interval-leaping line is placed over a pedal point, or the final B major 7th chord, for instance. There are other surprising touches, like the half-time tag that breaks up "Waltz for Debby"; the climactic shout choruses (and orchestrated Bill Evans solo) in "Show-Type Tune"; the medley-style juxtaposition of "Twelve-Tone Tune" and "Twelve-Tone Tune Two"; and the jarring burst of a chord that ends "Turn Out the Stars," gradually fading to close out the album. Lead trombonist Vincent Nilsson arranged the one piece not composed by Bill Evans: "Theme for Scotty/Gloria's Step" combines Clare Fischer's requiem for Scott LaFaro with a stormy reading of LaFaro's most famous tune, which remained in Evans' repertoire long after the bassist's untimely death. Tenor saxophonist Tomas Franck, one of the album's more prominent soloists, gives "Blue in Green" an unusually turbulent, quasi-"out" arrangement. Other outstanding performers include bassist Thomas Ovesen and flügelhornist Henrik Bolberg Pedersen. ~David R. Adler

Play Bill Evans mc
Play Bill Evans zippy

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Eliane Elias, Bob Brookmeyer, The Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra - Impulsive!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:05
Size: 126.1 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[ 7:28] 1. Just Kiddin'
[ 8:42] 2. So In Love
[ 9:09] 3. Moments
[11:48] 4. The Time Is Now
[ 7:53] 5. One Side Of You
[10:02] 6. Impulsive!

The curious blend of pianist Eliane Elias with conductor and arranger Bob Brookmeyer leading the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra makes for a surprising mix. Brookmeyer, long established as one of the top jazz writers and a phenomenal valve trombonist to boot, was not familiar with the recordings of the Brazilian keyboardist, but he was clearly up to the challenge of scoring her music. Brookmeyer gives "Just Kiddin'" a big and bold post-bop treatment, with an underlying funky rhythm and a bit of electronics thrown in for fun. Elias and Brookmeyer share the solo spotlight in the breezy setting of her ballad "So in Love." Far more low-key is "Moments," with sparse piano lines backed by Brookmeyer's rich scoring for the brass and a fine solo by flugelhornist Henrik Bolberg Pedersen. The exotic, high-energy setting of "The Time Is Now" is a more modern bossa nova, showcasing Elias and Brookmeyer, along with bassist Thomas Ovesen and drummer Jonas Johansen. "One Side of You" is a haunting ballad made more so by Brookmeyer's brilliant arrangement. This session may throw a bit of a curve to longtime fans of either Eliane Elias or Bob Brookmeyer, but this successful CD is very much an ear opener. ~Ken Dryden

Impulsive! mc
Impulsive! zippy