Dave Eshelman's Jazz Garden Big Band - When Dreams Come True

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:22
Size: 160,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:51)  1. Firm Roots
(7:32)  2. We'll Never Say Goodbye
(6:20)  3. Love You Madly
(6:24)  4. Tumbao Nuevo
(6:52)  5. Old Folks
(7:05)  6. When Dreams Come True
(7:13)  7. Invitation
(7:06)  8. Bb Blues In F
(6:54)  9. Mystique
(8:00) 10. Original Rays

Stellar trombonist, composer, and leader Dave Eshelman continues to bring the best of modern big band arrangements to the attention of the jazz public with his Jazz Garden Big Band. In their 16th year when this album was cut in 1991, the band is home to top California studio and performing jazz artists. One hears in this aggregation touches of Stan Kenton (in the voicing) on such cuts as "Mystique" and the modernism of Gil Evans on other tracks such as "Original Rays," where the band is augmented by a French horn, bassoon, tuba, and oboe, recalling Evans' days as arranger for Claude Thornhill. Not only is the ensemble playing extraordinary, but the solos test the imagination and technical skills of each player who's put front and center. Showing no reluctance to let another trombonist share the spotlight, Eshelman has Dave Martell out front on Cedar Walton's "Firm Roots." Pianist Susan Muscarella also has a lot to say on the track. The play list brings out the diversity of the arrangements. "When Dreams Come True," featuring the daring tenor of Daniel Zinn, written as a sonata, shows another aspect of Eshelman's composing and arranging. A slightly swinging "Love You Madly" has the nicely modulated flugelhorn of Steve Campos taking the lead, while the standard "Old Folks" gets a fresh coat of paint with Eshelman's a cappella trombone wielding the brush. Irrespective of tracks, all the music has a modern quality to it, which means there is some dissonance, off-center harmonics, and contemporary ideas reflected in the arrangements. The Jazz Garden Big Band must be considered a leader in the formation and presentation of big band music in the modern creative vein. Recommended. ~ Dave Nathan https://www.allmusic.com/album/when-dreams-come-true-mw0000934135

Personnel:  Trombone – Dave Eshelman, Dave Gregoric , Dave Martell, Chip Tingle ; Bass – Seward McCain; Bass Trombone – Phil Zahorsky; Bassoon – Dominic Teresi ; Congas – Michael Spiro;  Drums – Russ Tincher; French Horn – Larry Osborne; mGuitar – Tim Volpicella; Oboe – Steve Parker ; Piano – Smith Dobson, Susan Muscarella; Saxophone, Woodwind – Bennett Friedman, Bob Farrington, Dan Zinn, Mary Fettig, Paul Contos, Rory Snyder; Trombone [Lead] – John Russell ; Trumpet [Lead], Flugelhorn – Marvin McFadden; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Bill Resch, Dan Buegeleisen, Steve Campos; Tuba – Tony Clements ; Vibraphone – Dennis Cooper

When Dreams Come True

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Dave Eshelman's Jazz Garden Big Band - The Jazz Garden

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1982
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:58
Size: 104,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:17)  1. Dance of the Scorpion
(7:11)  2. There Will Never Be Another You
(5:04)  3. Viva Corea
(4:13)  4. Sunbeams
(6:11)  5. Remembrance
(8:16)  6. The Jazz Garden
(7:44)  7. Tap Step

Conductor, trombonist, arranger, and composer Dave Eshelman has become one of the foremost champions of creative and modern big band music in the United States. Beginning with Deep Voices in 1988, he has produced three well-received large group albums with his Jazz Garden Big Band for the Sea Breeze label. He also has composed a "Suite for Jazz Orchestra" which was performed and recorded live from San Jose Jazz Festival. Further establishing himself among the pacesetters for serious big band jazz, several of his innovative big band charts have been published. Eshelman's recorded output is by no means limited to large aggregations. He has recorded with such modern jazz luminaries as John Abercrombie, Dave Liebman, and Peter Erskine in small group settings for Pacific High Productions, and recorded three albums with the Full Faith & Credit Big Band in the early '80s. Eshelman has derived inspiration from a diverse group of jazz musicians, including J.J. Johnson, Gil Evans, Horace Silver, Chick Corea, and Albert Mangelsdorff; all of whom influenced his development in trombone, composing, and arranging, and whose music he continued to listen to. Eshelman had his first professional gig in 1970 while at the University of Miami, playing with a group called Orchestration. As he moved along with his jazz career, he gained experience working with Ray Brown, Tito Puente, Gerald Wilson, and Joe Henderson. Festivals at which he has appeared include the San Francisco Jazz Festival with Maria Schneider, the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival, and the Playboy Jazz Festival, to name a few. In addition to writing charts and recording with his Jazz Garden Orchestra, Eshelman serves as the Director of Jazz Studies at California State University at Hayward. ~ Dave Nathan https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dave-eshelman-mn0000959783

The Jazz Garden

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