Dave Frishberg - Let's Eat Home

Styles: Vocal, Piano Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:42
Size: 107,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:47)  1. Brenda Starr
(3:04)  2. Let's Eat Home
(6:40)  3. Al Cohn Medley
(3:04)  4. Matty
(4:30)  5. The Mooche
(3:22)  6. I Was Ready
(2:55)  7. Strange Music
(8:43)  8. Billy Strayhorn Medley
(4:41)  9. A Ship Without a Sail
(2:58) 10. Lookin' Good
(3:53) 11. The Underdog

This CD is most significant for having the original versions of Dave Frishberg's "Let's Eat Home," "I Was Ready" and "Lookin' Good." The pianist, who also takes several instrumentals (Al Cohn and Billy Strayhorn medleys, plus "The Mooche"), is assisted by valve trombonist Rob McConnell, trumpeter Snooky Young, bassist Jim Hughart and drummer Jeff Hamilton on most selections. Although not quite essential, this is an enjoyable outing by the pianist/singer/lyricist and ranks in his top five recordings. 

~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/lets-eat-home-mw0000207408

Personnel: Piano, Lead Vocals – Dave Frishberg;  Acoustic Bass – Jim Hughart; Drums – Jeff Hamilton; Trumpet – Snooky Young; Valve Trombone – Rob McConnell

Let's Eat Home

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Rob McConnell And The Boss Brass - Atras Da Porta

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:57
Size: 113,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:14)  1. Easy To Love
(5:24)  2. Flowers
(4:59)  3. Jo Jo's Dance
(5:46)  4. Atras Da Porta
(8:48)  5. Amor Ate O Fim
(7:11)  6. Autumn In New York
(4:57)  7. Didi
(6:34)  8. Bye Bye Blues

Virtually every release by Rob McConnell's Boss Brass is easily recommended to fans of straight-ahead and swinging big bands. Put out by the Canadian Innovation label, this release is a bit unusual in that five of the songs are by Latin American composers, two of which were arranged Jorge Calandrelli; in addition, the 22-piece orchestra plays "Easy to Love," "Autumn In New York," and "Bye Bye Blues." Although the material might be a bit different than usual, the band's distinctive sound is unchanged, and there is plenty of solo space for the usual top-notch players altoist Moe Koffman, guitarist Ed Bickert, flugelhornist Guido Basso, and Eugene Amaro on tenor. An interesting set that finds the big band showing a lot of flexibility. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/atras-da-porta-mw0000195203

Personnel:  Valve Trombone – Rob McConnell;  Alto Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet – Jerry Toth; Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Piccolo Flute – Moe Koffman; Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Bob Leonard;  Bass – Steve Wallace; Bass Trombone – Ron Hughes; Drums – Terry Clarke; French Horn – George Stimpson, James MacDonald; Guitar – Ed Bickert; Percussion – Brian Leonard , Memo Acevedo; Piano, Electric Piano – Jimmy Dale; Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Eugene Amaro; Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet – Rick Wilkins; Trombone – Bob Livingston , Dave McMurdo; Trombone [Lead] – Ian McDougall; Trumpet [Associate Lead], Flugelhorn – Erich Traugott; Trumpet [Lead], Flugelhorn – Arnie Chycoski; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Dave Woods , Guido Basso, John MacLeod 

Atras Da Porta

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Rob McConnell Tentet - Music of the Twenties

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:44
Size: 165,4 MB
Art: Front

(8:53)  1. Thou Swell
(6:26)  2. Remember
(8:49)  3. Lover, Come Back to Me
(5:19)  4. Can't We Be Friends
(5:43)  5. Always
(6:12)  6. I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me
(7:54)  7. Indian Summer/Summertime
(6:54)  8. How Long Has This Been Going On
(4:13)  9. You Do Something to Me
(7:33) 10. With a Song in My Heart
(3:44) 11. What I'll Do

To anyone who may be wondering why Rob McConnell would devote an entire album to music that is almost eight decades old, all I can say is, “listen.” Not only don’t they write ‘em like that anymore, they almost never play ‘em this way either. Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Victor Herbert, Sigmund Romberg, Jimmy McHugh and other legendary Tin Pan Alley tunesmiths have seldom sounded fresher or more fashionable than in this dazzling tour de force by McConnell’s spectacular Tentet, thanks on the one hand to Rob’s bright and imaginative arrangements (and one by Rick Wilkins) and on the other to the ensemble’s scintillating performance. Almost everyone in the all-star Tentet is showcased on at least one number, and everyone gets into the solo act on the hot-blooded opener, Rodgers and Hart’s “Thou Swell” (from A Connecticut Yankee, 1927). “I’ve often wondered how I could feature everyone in this band on one number,” Rob writes. “This is the answer.” And what an answer it is, with McConnell’s nimble valve trombone pointing the way toward shimmering solos by all hands. R&H are also represented by “With a Song in My Heart” (1929; solos by tenor Mike Murley, pianist Dave Restivo), Berlin by “Remember” (1925; chart by Wilkins, solos by Restivo and bassist Steve Wallace), “Always” (1925; featuring Guido Basso, flugelhorn) and “What’ll I Do” (1924; Steve McDade, trumpet). Alto P.J. 

Perry is the headliner on Romberg’s mercurial “Lover Come Back to Me” (1928). Trombonist Terry Promane softly caresses the melody and Murley solos on the Gershwins’ “How Long Has This Been Going On” (1927), while McConnell and Restivo are the main men on McHugh’s “I Can’t Believe That You’re in Love with Me” (1926), tenor Alex Dean and drummer Terry Clarke on Porter’s “You Do Something to Me” (1929). Romberg’s carefree “Indian Summer” (1929) is briefly paired with the only song that doesn’t date from the ‘20s, “Summertime,” written in 1935 by George and Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward and Dorothy Fields for the folk opera Porgy and Bess. The soloists are Dean and Wallace (“Indian Summer”) and Basso (muted on “Summertime”). “I decided,” says Rob, “that a small tribute to Miles Davis and Gil Evans with a bit of ‘Summertime’ at the end [of ‘Indian Summer’] would be OK.” And indeed it is. That covers everything except the loosely swinging Kay Swift / Paul James standard from 1929, “Can’t We Be Friends,” on which McConnell states the melody and Wallace is the featured soloist. About the only decision one has to make when listening to McConnell’s Tentet (as was true of the late and grievously lamented Boss Brass) is, which is more impressive, Rob’s arrangements or the ensemble itself? And as is always the case, the “competition” has to be ruled a draw. When all is said and done, it’s simply impossible to choose between perfect and flawless. One thing is sure, and that is that whenever McConnell and his ensemble come together to record, there is more musical talent in that one studio than in all the rock bands in the universe. No matter what the era, the Rob McConnell Tentet makes every song truly irresistible. Another clear-cut winner. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/music-of-the-twenties-rob-mcconnell-tentet-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Rob McConnell, Terry Promane, trombone; Guido Basso, Steve McDade, trumpet, flugelhorn; P.J. Perry, alto sax; Mike Murley, Alex Dean, tenor sax; Dave Restivo, piano; Steve Wallace, bass; Terry Clarke, drums.

Music of the Twenties

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Rob McConnell & Big Band Brass - Live With The Boss

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:05
Size: 166,5 MB
Art: Front

( 8:23)  1. Who Asked
( 9:11)  2. T.o Two
(10:03)  3. The Waltz I Blew for You
( 6:40)  4. Days Gone By
( 7:08)  5. Hey!
( 9:17)  6. Winter in Winnipeg
( 7:23)  7. Love of My Life
( 7:25)  8. 4b.c
( 6:30)  9. Even Canadians Get the Blues

Have you ever been to a concert where the band was blowin’ up a storm but the cavernously richocheting acoustics were enough to drive you crazy? If so, you’ll readily identify with this album, a marvelous collaboration between Rob McConnell and the Toulouse based Big Band Brass that cooks from the word go but is repeatedly sabotaged (a suitably French word) by its disconcerting (no pun intended) concert–hall ambiance. As a longtime admirer of McConnell’s, and with his peerless Canadian ensemble, the Boss Brass, no longer operative at least for the present, if not permanently I looked forward eagerly to hearing his album with the BBB, recorded a year ago this month, a copy of which I obtained courtesy of the band’s splendid lead trumpeter, Tony Amouroux. Tony enclosed a note in which he explained that the BBB is but one year old and apologized in advance for any weaknesses. He needn’t have. The ensemble itself is consistently impressive, as are McConnell’s stylish charts and his always eloquent locutions on valve trombone. But either Odyssud Blagnac, where (I presume) the recording was made, is an acoustic swamp or the engineers in charge were, shall we say, less than adroit (to use another apposite French description). The resulting sabotage, even though inadvertent, is no less harmful than any deliberate assault. That’s a pity, as the Big Band Brass definitely rises to the occasion, further enhancing McConnell’s already lavish charts while unleashing a phalanx of admirable soloists who, unlike the ensemble as a whole, are in most cases reasonably well recorded. Tenor Laurent Audinos is the most frequently heard (on five numbers), with other persuasive statements interposed by trumpeters Jacques Adamo and Dominique Rieux, pianist Philippe Léogé, soprano David Pautric and guitarist Pierre Téodori. 

The generously timed disc accommodates half a dozen of Rob’s compositions and one each by Roger Kellaway (“Love of My Life”) and Boss Brass alumni Don Thompson (“Days Gone By”) and Rick Wilkins (“Who Asked,” his snappy answer to the age old question “What Is This Thing Called Love”). McConnell solos on four selections (“T.O. Two,” “Hey!,” “4 B.C.” and “Even Canadians Get the Blues”), showing that any lip problems alluded to in recent years have vanished and he remains in his mid 60s one of the undisputed masters of the digitally operated ’bone. It’s difficult to wholly endorse an album like this, in which nearly aspect is first–class but whose lone exception less than adequate sound can be quite unsettling to some ears. Having listened several times, I must say that I’ve been able to brush aside the sonic drawbacks and focus on the album’s more desirable qualities, which are readily uncovered and as easily appreciated. With that caveat, a conclusive thumbs–up for the BBB and “boss,” an able bodied team that never fails to deliver the goods. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-with-the-boss-the-big-band-brass-black-and-blue-records-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Rob McConnell, valve trombone, composer, arranger; Tony Amouroux, Dominique Rieux, Jacques Adamo, Eric Duroc, Michel Lassalle, trumpet; Michel Chalot, Pierre Condon, Bruno Hervat, trombone; Patrice Caussidery, bass trombone; Christophe Mouly, alto sax, flute; Laurent Velluz, alto sax, clarinet; Laurent Audinos, tenor, soprano sax; David Pautric, tenor, soprano, sax, flute; David Cayrou, baritone sax, clarinet, bass clarinet; Guillaume Amiel, Fabien Mouly, French horn.

Live With The Boss

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Rob McConnell Tentet - Thank You, Ted

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:52
Size: 140,3 MB
Art: Front

( 9:42)  1. If I Were A Bell
(11:33)  2. Like Someone In Love
( 5:10)  3. Everything Happens To Me
( 6:51)  4. The Outlaw
( 4:30)  5. I'll Never Stop Loving You
( 8:22)  6. Constantly
( 3:40)  7. The Folks Who Live On The Hill
( 6:29)  8. Somewhere In The Night
( 4:31)  9. For All We Know

One can rest assured that whenever Rob McConnell enters a recording studio he’ll be accompanied by a group of the finest jazz musicians Canada has to offer and that the charts he brings with him will flash and gleam like the Aurora Borealis. No exception here, as Rob and his Tentet pay their warm respects to Ted O’Reilly, the amiable host of Toronto’s premier Jazz radio program, “The Jazz Scene,” for twenty-seven years before his retirement last April. Having written and recorded (with the Boss Brass) two of O’Reilly’s theme songs, “T.O.” and “T.O.2,” McConnell the composer takes a holiday here, choosing instead to adapt seven pages from the Great American Songbook to complement Horace Silver’s “The Outlaw” and Vic Dickenson’s “Constantly.” But all the arrangements are his, and as usual, each one is a paragon of graceful lyicism and dynamic group interplay. The Tentet, a pared-down version of the Boss Brass, is so good it makes it harder for one to mourn the loss of the larger ensemble. Of course, most of these gentlemen played with the Brass before McConnell was forced to disband the orchestra, so what we have is a sort of “Boss Brass Lite,” which may have less calories but is every ounce as satisfying as its meatier cousin. The rhythm section, of course, is an indispensable ingredient in any successful recipe, and the Tentet is well-seasoned by the superlative trio of pianist Dave Restivo, bassist Steve Wallace and drummer Terry Clarke, whose zesty cooking gives the ensemble a broad comfort zone in which to collaborate and improvise. McConnell holds the tempos in check, preferring slow to moderate, with only “The Outlaw,” “Constantly” and Frank Loesser’s “If I Were a Bell” exceeding the speed limit, but everyone seems thoroughly at ease within that leisurely framework and there are moments of great charm and beauty in every chart. There are marvelous solos too, with Rob’s expressive valve trombone showcased on “Everything Happens to Me” and (with Terry Promane’s slide trombone) Billy May’s “Somewhere in the Night” (which some may recall as the theme from a ’50s television show, The Naked City ), flugel master Guido Basso passionate on “I’ll Never Stop Loving You,” alto saxophonist P.J. Perry eloquent on “For All We Know,” dueling tenors Mike Murley and Alex Dean loose and swinging on “The Outlaw.” Dean, Wallace and Basso light the scoring lamp on “If I Were a Bell,” Murley, Promane and Restivo on “Like Someone in Love,” McConnell, Wallace and Perry on “Constantly.” A second triumphant album for the irrepressible Tentet, which is doing everything in its power to fill the enormous void created by the unfortunate departure of the Boss Brass. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/thank-you-ted-review-by-jack-bowers.php?width=1920

Personnel: Rob McConnell, leader, arranger, valve trombone; Steve McDade, trumpet; Guido Basso, flugelhorn; P.J. Perry, alto sax; Alex Dean, Mike Murley, tenor sax; Terry Promane, trombone; Dave Restivo, piano; Steve Wallace, bass; Terry Clarke, drums.

Thank You, Ted

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Vic Lewis, West Coast All Stars - Play Bill Holman

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:35
Size: 131.8 MB
Styles: West Coast jazz
Year: 1993
Art: Front

[7:12] 1. Oleo (First Version)
[7:26] 2. Yesterdays
[6:54] 3. Sizzler Before Lunch
[3:54] 4. When I Fall In Love
[7:35] 5. Easter Parade
[8:43] 6. As We Speak
[8:21] 7. Sizzler After Lunch
[7:26] 8. Oleo (Second Version)

Alto Saxophone – Bud Shank (tracks: 1 to 6 ,8), Lanny Morgan (tracks: 7), Lennie Niehaus (tracks: 7); Baritone Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Flute [Alto], Bass Clarinet – Bill Perkins; Bass – John Clayton; Drums – Jeff Hamilton; French Horn – Ron Loofbourrow; Piano – Alan Broadbent (tracks: 1, 3 to 6), Dudley Moore (tracks: 7), Mike Lang (tracks: 2,8); Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Bob Cooper; Trombone – Andy Martin (tracks: 7), Rob McConnell; Trumpet – Conte Candoli, Jack Sheldon; Vocals – Ruth Price.

Vic has no hesitation in declaring Bill Holman to be the finest big band jazz arranger in the world and in 1988 he satisfied a long held ambition by asking Bill to write arrangements for a complete album by the West Coast All Stars. As can be seen from the personnel listing, the cream of California's jazzmen were assembled for the date.

Play Bill Holman mc
Play Bill Holman zippy

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Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass - Don't Get Around Much Anymore

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:40
Size: 137,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:20)  1. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(9:02)  2. The Waltz You Knew Was Blue
(4:47)  3. Jobim Medley: Once I Loved / If You Never Came To Me
(6:02)  4. Crazy Rhythm
(5:57)  5. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You
(6:17)  6. (Back Home Again In) Indiana / Donna Lee
(6:37)  7. Medley: The Bad And The Beautiful / Robin
(8:16)  8. The Back Beat
(5:20)  9. Rockin' In Rhythm

Although it was usually a part-time venture (working maybe 30 days a year, counting an annual recording), Rob McConnell's Boss Brass was one of the finest big bands of the '70s, '80s, and '90s. An excellent soloist, McConnell played valve trombone in Toronto (both in the studios and in jazz settings) for a long time. During 1965-1969, he was in Nimmons 'n' Nine Plus Six (led by Phil Nimmons) and in 1968 formed Boss Brass. Originally, the group was comprised entirely of brass instruments, plus a rhythm section, and emphasized pop music. Although it added a saxophone section in 1971, Boss Brass did not record much jazz until 1976. Comprised of many of Toronto's top musicians (including Sam Noto, Guido Basso, Ian McDougall, Moe Koffman, Eugene Amaro, Rick Wilkins, Ed Bickert, Don Thompson, and Terry Clarke, among others), the orchestra mostly plays McConnell's swinging but surprising charts. For a period in the late '80s, McConnell moved to Los Angeles and the group broke up, but by 1991, it was back together again. Rob McConnell, who also cut a few small-group dates for Concord, recorded with his Boss Brass for Pausa, MPS, Dark Orchid, Innovation, and Concord. He died of cancer in Toronto on May 1, 2010. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/rob-mcconnell-mn0000279968/biography

Personnel:  Rob McConnell (valve trombone); Moe Koffman, John Johnson, Alex Dean, Rick Wilkins, Bob Leonard (saxophone, flute, clarinet); Arnie Chycoski, Steve McDade, John MacLeod, Guido Basso, Dave Woods (trumpet, flugelhorn); Alastair Kay, Bob Livingston, Jerry Johnson, Ernie Pattison (trombone); Judy Kay, James MacDonald (French horn); Lorne Lofsky (guitar); Jim Vivian (bass); Ted Warren (drums).

Don't Get Around Much Anymore

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Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass - Brassy & Sassy

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:09
Size: 154,9 MB
Art: Front

(11:59)  1. Strike Up The Band
( 4:42)  2. Hey
( 7:11)  3. Very Early
( 7:04)  4. Things Ain't What They Used To
(11:23)  5. Scrapple From The Apple
( 5:50)  6. Embraceable You / Why Did I Ch
(18:57)  7. Blue Serge Suit(E)

This CD can serve as a perfect introduction to Rob McConnell's Boss Brass. The leader's arrangements (plus one by Ron Collier) uplift such standards as "Strike Up the Band," "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" and "Scrapple from the Apple"; trombonist Ian McDougall introduces his three-part, 19-minute "Blue Serge Suit(e)," and many veteran soloists are featured, including the tenors of Eugene Amaro and Rick Wilkins, trumpeters John MacLeod and Guido Basso, guitarist Ed Bickert, and McConnell himself on valve trombone. Throughout, the Boss Brass is heard in prime form. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/brassy-and-sassy-mw0000076889

Personnel:  Rob McConnell (valve trombone), Moe Koffman, John Johnson (soprano & alto saxophones, flute, clarinet), Eugene Amaro (tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet), Rick Wilkins (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Bob Leonard (baritone saxophone, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet), Arnie Chycoski, John MacCleod, Guido Basso, Dave Woods (trumpet, flugelhorn), Ian McDougall, Bob Livingston, Jerry Johnson (trombone), Ernie Pattison (bass trombone), Gary Pattison, James MacDonald (French horn), Don Thompson (piano), Ed Bickert (guitar), Steve Wallace (bass), Terry Clarke (drums), Brian Leonard (percussion).

Brassy & Sassy

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Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass - Present Perfect

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:14
Size: 105.8 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 1980/2014
Art: Front

[5:48] 1. You Took Advantage Of Me
[7:39] 2. Everything Happens To Me
[9:11] 3. Twist Of The Wrist
[9:43] 4. The Waltz I Blew For You
[6:37] 5. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[7:13] 6. Start With Mrs. Beanhart

Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Jerry Toth; Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Piccolo Flute – Moe Koffman; Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Flute – Dave Caldwell; Bass – Don Thompson; Bass Trombone – Ron Hughes; Drums – Terry Clarke; French Horn – Brad Warnaar, George Stimpson; Guitar – Ed Bickert; Percussion – Marty Morell; Piano, Electric Piano – James Dale; Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Rick Wilkins; Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Eugene Amaro; Trombone – Dave McMurdo; Trombone [Lead] – Bob Livingston, Ian McDougall; Trumpet [Assistant Lead], Flugelhorn – Erich Traugott; Trumpet [Lead], Flugelhorn – Arnie Chycoski; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Dave Woods (2), Guido Basso, Sam Noto. Recorded at Sound Stage Studio, Toronto, Oct. 29, 30, 31, 1979. Mixed at MPS Studio, Villingen, Jan. 14, 15, 16, 1980.

The Boss Brass has always featured some of the finest jazz-oriented session players from Toronto, Canada. Valve trombonist Rob McConnell's swinging arrangements give the orchestra its own personality, as can be heard on this obscure Pausa LP, which was originally put out by the European MPS label. The band performs fresh versions of three swing-era standards (including "You Took Advantage of Me"), a lesser-known tune, and a couple of McConnell originals, including "The Waltz I Blew for You." The key soloists include trumpeters Guido Basso and Sam Noto, altoists Jerry Toth and Moe Koffman, Rick Wilkins and Eugene Amaro on tenors, guitarist Ed Bickert, and McConnell (who is featured on "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"). Worth searching for, as are virtually all of the recordings by this very consistent big band. ~Scott Yanow

Present Perfect

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Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass - Tribute

Size: 102,7 MB
Time: 42:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1981/2015
Styles: Jazz: Big Band
Art: Front

01. Things Are Getting Better (6:15)
02. Blue Hodge (8:11)
03. Blue Daniel (6:37)
04. Peace - Blue Silver (8:29)
05. My Bells (5:20)
06. Wendy (7:18)

Award-winning Trombonist-arranger-composer Rob McConnell and his Boss Brass big band was a fixture on the Canadian jazz scene. The group was composed of Canada’s premiere jazz musicians, and many of their over two dozen albums have become collectors’ items for big band enthusiasts world-wide. Tribute was the second of three albums released by MPS. The album contains the compositions of six major musicians, all of whom “…were taken from us in the prime of their lives and careers” (McConnell). Alto sax great Cannonball Adderley’s Things Are Getting Better is a moderate-swinging gem that’s gotta make you feel good. Moe Koffman’s alto strolls out in front before taking a blistering double-time run. Lauded for his recordings on Impulse and Verve records as well as his arrangements for the likes of Bill Evans and Stan Getz, Gary McFarland stood as one of the most important arranger-composers of the 1960’s. His Blue Hodge slow-walks the blues over a richly-laid chordal carpet and sensitive tenor sax and piano solos. Trombone virtuoso Frank Rosolino’s Blue Daniel naturally features trombonists McConnell and Ian McDougall. Rosolino would have been pleased. Trumpeter Blue Mitchell was an integral part of one of jazz legend Horace Silver’s greatest groups. Mitchell transformed Silver’s contemplative Peace into the up-tempo trumpet romp Blue Silver. One of McConnell’s favorite compositions, Bill Evan’s ballad My Bells rings out with beautiful harmonies and a graceful piano solo. Dave Brubeck cohort Paul Desmond’s Wendy features luxurious harmonies and Jerry Toth’s sumptuous alto sax solo. A big band treat with insightful arrangements of compositions from six great jazzmen.

Tribute

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Rob McConnell & The SWR Big Band - So Very Rob: Boss Brass Revisited

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:36
Size: 179.9 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[7:12] 1. Autumn In New York
[8:43] 2. Confirmation
[8:41] 3. Street Of Dreams
[9:37] 4. Peace Blue Silver
[5:55] 5. So Very Rob
[4:57] 6. What Am I Here For
[6:22] 7. Sith Sense
[9:12] 8. Stella By Starlight
[4:59] 9. Crazy Rhythm
[5:40] 10. A Child Is Born Our Waltz
[7:12] 11. Things Ain't What They Used To Be

Few big bands anywhere have a more far-reaching or well-deserved reputation for excellence than Germany’s SWR Big Band, which began life in the early ’50s as Erwin Lehn and his Southern Radio Dance Orchestra. When Lehn stepped aside in 1991 after forty years at the helm, the Stuttgart-based band didn’t miss a beat, swinging resiliently onward first as the SDR Big Band and later the SWR. It was in 1992, barely a year after Lehn’s departure, that composer/arranger/bandleader/valve trombonist extraordinaire Rob McConnell first recorded with the band (known then as SDR), and now, a decade later, he’s back, leading the ensemble through a dozen of his fabulous arrangements on an album that one is compelled to describe as spectacular in every respect.

True, not much here is new (most of these charts have been introduced on various albums by McConnell’s sorely-missed Boss Brass), but to hear them again, played so marvelously by this superlative band, is almost as exhilarating as hearing them for the first time. Indeed, the album’s subtitle is “Boss Brass Revisited,” which is never a bad idea, especially as McConnell had to disband the Brass in ‘96 and replace it with a smaller but no less charismatic group, the Rob McConnell Tentet.

McConnell did write one new chart for the occasion, “So Very Rob,” a typically stylish medium tempo essay that builds in intensity behind roaring brass and mellow French horns before completing a smooth landing. A second original, the breezy “Sixth Sense,” is credited to the leader but appeared on the album Even Canadians Get the Blues with the composer acknowledged (by McConnell in the liner notes) as pianist Ron Johnston.

As is the case in most world-class big bands, the SWR’s sideman are not only flawless section players but admirable soloists as well. There are captivating features for alto saxophonist Axel Kühn (“Autumn in New York”) and tenor Andreas Maile (“What Am I Here For”), a scorching up-tempo romp (“Crazy Rhythm”) for agile trombonists Ian Cumming and Marc Godfroid, and ample room for such resourceful ad libbers as alto Klaus Graf, trumpeters Karl Farrent and Klaus Reichstaller, tenor Jörg Kaufman, pianist Klaus Wagenleiter, bassist Decebal Badila and guitarist Klaus-Peter Schöpfer. McConnell solos twice, on “Sixth Sense” and “A Child Is Born/Our Waltz,” and one need only note that he is playing as well as ever. Last but by no means least, the rhythm section (Wagenleiter, Schöpfer, Badila, drummer Holger Nell) is razor-sharp and persuasive throughout. This is a near-perfect gem of an album with state-of-the-art sound comprising 79 minutes of contemporary big band jazz that is never less than scintillating. ~Jack Bowers

Rob McConnell, composer, arranger, valve trombone; Felice Civitareale, Wim Both, Claus Reichstaller, Karl Farrent, Rudolf Reindl, trumpet, flugelhorn; Klaus Graf, Axel K

So Very Rob: Boss Brass Revisited 

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Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass - Play The Jazz Classics

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:41
Size: 153,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:58)  1. The Duke
(9:09)  2. Invitation
(7:10)  3. Autumn In New York
(5:24)  4. A Child Is Born / Our Waltz
(9:17)  5. Peace / Blue Silver
(3:45)  6. Santa Claus Blues
(6:58)  7. Pensativa
(5:40)  8. Day Dream
(8:49)  9. Sophistacated Lady
(5:28) 10. Lil' Darlin (Don't Dream Of Anybody But Me)

Competent is the key word here. Rob McConnell and The Boss Brass have been at their labor of love of big band music for almost thirty years; here, as they Play the Jazz Classics, their long experience shows. The playing is lovely and loving, every detail is in place, and the record is thoroughly satisfying in every way. Lovers of adventure and innovation should look elsewhere, but does music have to be new or inventive to be beautiful? Lovers of beautiful music for its own sake will become immediate fans of Mr. McConnell and his merry brassters. If you wish Basie were still around  if you wish Miles had released two hundred variations of Miles Ahead  this is for you. In fact, McConnell confesses amiably in the liner notes to having listened to Miles Ahead "so many times"; he obviously listened hard. Wary big band fans can be certain that McConnell hasn't spent nearly as much time with, say, Bitches Brew, or Agharta.  

The shadow of Miles certainly falls long over the trumpet section. His melancholy and expressive tone has been thoroughly absorbed by John MacLeod, whose flugelhorn infuses Bronislaw Kaper's "Invitation" with a sober longing that is set off in interesting fashion by the band. MacLeod seems to be feeling a little more down than the rest of them, and the resulting contrast is intriguing in a Sinatra-at-the-bar-at-3-AM sort of way: this is music for the dregs of an ever-so-sophisticated party after she's gone and there's nothing to do but set the fedora down and order another. While the band plays and plays. In contrast, John Johnson's alto seems to be the up one while the band is down on "Autumn in New York." Maybe this is what Miles meant when he said that Gil Evans had taught him so much about "contrary motion and shit like that." Of course, he was referring to the harmonic motions of the soloist and accompanists, but McConnell seems to have captured its potential for casting the moods of his soloists in particularly effective lights. All the music here has been recorded before, so this has a bit of a Greatest Hits feel to it, although it's an all-new recording from May 1997.

Dave Dunlop is introduced as the new lead trumpet player, but the new man has to pay his dues, and Dave doesn't get to solo. We do hear from, among others, Guido Basso on flugelhorn, the leader on a charming valve trombone, and the soulful David Restivo on piano.  Also on hand in this enormous ensemble are Moe Koffman, Alex Dean, Rick Wilkins, and Bob Leonard (reeds); Steve McDade and Kevin Turcotte (trumpets, flugelhorns); Alastair Kay, Bob Livingston, Jerry Johnson and Ernie Pattison (trombones); James MacDonald and Judy Kay (French horns); Ed Bickert (guitar); Jim Vivian (bass); and Ted Warren and Brian Leonard (drums and percussion). What are they playing? Well, McConnell stays on predictably firm ground here: fans of "Ascension," "Kulu Se Mama" and "Karyobin" will have to wait for future releases. For this one, how about Brubeck's "The Duke," the Duke's "Sophisticated Lady," and Vernon Duke's "Autumn in New York"? Garnish with "A Child is Born," "Blue Silver," "Pensativa," Strayhorn's "Day Dream," and a few other deserved perennials. Warm lightly over a low fire. Serve cool. ~ Robert Spencer   

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Play The Jazz Classics

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