Showing posts with label Schapiro 17. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Schapiro 17. Show all posts

Monday, March 29, 2021

Schapiro 17 - Human Qualities

Styles: Jazz Funk, Big Band
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:10
Size: 161,4 MB
Art: Front

( 8:18) 1. Count Me Out
( 7:51) 2. Tango
(10:03) 3. Hmmm
( 9:53) 4. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
(11:08) 5. Human Qualities
(11:37) 6. Hallelujah
( 5:17) 7. A Bounce in Her Step
( 5:59) 8. House Money

Following its splendid premiere recording, an exploration of Miles Davis' unrivaled album Kind Of Blue (Capitol Records, 1959), composer/arranger Jon Schapiro's 17-member ensemble broadens its horizons on Human Qualities, pairing seven of the maestro's astute and adventurous charts with the Roberta Flack best-seller, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." This time around, Schapiro proves that he need rely on nothing more than his own considerable experience as a jazz artist to create an album that expresses his point of view and accomplishes its purpose.

When that posture involves straight-ahead swinging it is very good indeed; and even when it doesn't, it is seldom less than engaging. The emphatic Basie spirit is alive and well on the sunny opener, "Count Me In," with pianist Roberta Piket sitting in for the Count, and guitarist Sebastian Noelle for Freddie Green, on an irrepressible groover that calls to mind Basie's early era, one that produced such classic riffs as "One O'Clock Jump" and "Lester Leaps In." Stalwart solos courtesy of Piket, tenor Rob Middleton (channeling his inner Lester Young) and trombonist Deborah Weisz. "Tango," which follows, is a laid-back version of the fiery Latin dance showcasing Matt Hong's supple baritone. The lower end of Piket's keyboard is the launching pad for "Hmmm," a rhythmic powerhouse whose enticing melody and lively shout-outs by brass and reeds lead to muscular solos by trumpeter Andy Gravish and tenor Paul Carlon, some brisk four-bar exchanges and more of Piket's barrelhouse licks.

Schapiro's low-key arrangement of the album's lone ballad, "The First Time," whose amiable solos are delivered by Piket and trumpeter Eddie Allen, precedes the contrapuntal "Human Qualities," wherein Piket's piano plays hide-and-seek with brass and reeds before alto saxophonist Rob Wilkerson and trombonist Nick Grinder take their turns, engirding the ensemble and drummer Jon Wikan as the tempo undergoes subtle changes, and Piket resurfaces to draw some shapely lines in the sand, while Wilkerson and Grinder trade fours before brass and reeds wrap the package. The dirge-like "Hallelujah," which follows, opens well enough on the wings of Carlon's ardent tenor but overstays its welcome long before the 11:39 playing time has run its course. Happily, the group vitality returns on "A Bounce in Her Step," whose cool-bop cadences call to mind the West Coast scene of well over half a century ago. The carefree melody draws from Charlie Parker's "Billie's Bounce" and other themes, while the well-aimed solos are delivered by Wilkerson and trombonist Walter Harris. The album ends with a rocking second- line excursion to New Orleans to wager some "House Money" as Alex Jeun's muted wah-wah trombone enhances the tune's upbeat mood. Wikan and the rhythm section (Piket, Noelle, bassist Evan Gregor) are sharp and sturdy here, as they are on every number. If there is such a thing as a sophomore jinx, Schapiro manages to avoid it with ease on Human Qualities, a worthy successor to the Schapiro 17's impressive debut. Let us hope that the third time, whenever that happens, is also a charm. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/human-qualities-schapiro-17-summit-records

Personnel: Jon Schapiro: composer/conductor; Bryan Davis: trumpet; Andy Gravish: trumpet; Eddie Allen: trumpet; Noyes Bartholomew: trumpet; Rob Wilkerson: saxophone, alto; Candace DeBartolo: saxophone, alto; Paul Carlon: saxophone, tenor; Rob Middleton: saxophone, tenor; Matt Hong: saxophone, baritone; Alex Jeun: trombone; Deborah Weisz: trombone; Nick Grinder: trombone; Walter Harris: trombone; Roberta Piket: piano; Sebastian Noelle: guitar; Evan Gregor: bass; Jon Wikan: drums.

Human Qualities.

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Schapiro 17 - New Shoes: Kind of Blue at 60

Styles: Jazz Funk, Big Band
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 95:14
Size: 219,1 MB
Art: Front

(11:53) 1. Boiled Funk
( 3:04) 2. Foiled Bunk
(14:02) 3. So What
( 3:54) 4. Boiled Funk 2: Dark of Night
(10:02) 5. Blue in Green
( 2:26) 6. Boiled Funk 3: Worth Your While
(12:08) 7. All Blues
( 5:14) 8. Boiled Funk 4: Old Feet, New Shoes
( 9:52) 9. Flamenco Sketches
( 5:41) 10. Boiled Funk 5: A Smile
(12:25) 11. Freddie Freeloader
( 4:28) 12. Boiled Funk / Theme

2019 marked the sixtieth anniversary of the Miles Davis sextet's acclaimed album, Kind of Blue (Columbia). While the tributes didn't exactly pour in, New York-based composer / arranger Jon Schapiro took it upon himself not only to revisit that classic session but to re-orchestrate it for a large ensemble (the Schapiro 17) and flesh it out with half a dozen compositions of his own and another by pianist Roberta Piket. In keeping with the spirit of the occasion, all of Schapiro's themes (and Piket's) on the splendid two-CD set New Shoes are anagrams of Kind of Blue "Boiled Funk" 1-5 by Schapiro, "Foiled Bunk" by Piket. The last four of Schapiro's essays include subtitles: "Dark of Night," "Worth Your While," "Old Feet, New Shoes" and "A Smile." There is a closing theme, also labeled (not surprisingly) "Boiled Funk."

Of course, the five movements in the original album aren't overlooked, simply reshaped by Schapiro to accommodate his superb seventeen-member ensemble, not in pursuit of the unlikely goal of improving upon the memorable performance of Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and their colleagues but instead saluting their historic endeavor while refreshing and amplifying it for a new generation of listeners. To that end, the five longest tracks on New Shoes are those on the seminal Kind of Blue: "So What," "Blue in Green," "All Blues," "Flamenco Sketches" and "Freddie Freeloader." The end result is an anthology that not only lends added color to the original but in some cases (dare it be said?) swings even harder.

Disc 1 opens (naturally) with Schapiro's prefatory "Boiled Funk," whose shifting tempos accommodate agile solos by tenor saxophonist Paul Carlon and trombonist Deborah Weisz. "Foiled Bunk," which follows, is a showcase for Piket's inquisitive solo piano and leads to a burnished, angled version of "So What," with Alex Jeun shining on trombone and Rob Wilkerson faring likewise on soprano sax. Piket's tasteful piano introduces the meditative "Dark of Night," on which Wilkerson, again on soprano, spreads his intuitive wings, before CD 1 closes with "Blue in Green," a horn-driven anthem whose genial midsection features tenor Rob Middleton. Disc 2 opens on a fiery note as trumpeter Andy Gravish's blistering solo enlivens "Worth Your While." The swinging continues apace on "All Blues," an up-tempo spree enclosing ardent solos by tenor Carlon, trombonist Alex Jeun and trumpeter Eddie Allen and zealous work by the ensemble. Alto Candace DeBartolo is exceptionally keen and resourceful on the fast-moving "Old Feet, New Shoes," while guitarist Sebastian Noelle is loose and eloquent on the easygoing "Flamenco Sketches."

Piket makes a charming reappearance on "A Smile," soloing with her usual insight and assurance. Schapiro's lustrous arrangement of "Freddie Freeloader," the last of the five songs reprised from Kind of Blue, calls to mind the great Henry Mancini whose jazz works were invariably hip and engaging. Its shifting tempos are subdued by a number of able soloists including Piket, Gravish, Harris, Carlon, bassist Evan Gregor and baritone Matt Hong. Speaking of swing, the square-shouldered finale, "Boiled Funk: Theme" has that in abundance, pressing implacably onward (alongside brief echoes of Jimmy Forrest's "Night Train") behind crisp solos by Piket, Middleton, Carlon, Gravish and trombonist Nick Grinder. Before closing, praise must be accorded to Jon Wikan for his sharp and tasteful drumming and to Gregor for his exemplary timekeeping, each an indispensable component of the album's success, as are Schapiro's bright and impressive charts. And even though Schapiro's warmhearted homage to Kind of Blue was completed some sixty years after the fact, it would surely have warranted an appreciative bow and earnest tip of the hat from the maestros who did it first.
~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/new-shoes-kind-of-blue-at-60-schapiro-17-summit-records

Personnel: Jon Schapiro: composer/conductor; Bryan Davis: trumpet; Andy Gravish: trumpet; Eddie Allen: trumpet; Noyes Bartholomew: trumpet; Rob Wilkerson: saxophone, alto; Ben Kono: woodwinds; Candace DeBartolo: saxophone, alto; Paul Carlon: saxophone, tenor; Rob Middleton: saxophone, tenor; Matt Hong: saxophone, baritone; Deborah Weisz: trombone; Alex Jeun: trombone; Nick Grinder: trombone; Walter Harris: trombone; Roberta Piket: piano; Sebastian Noelle: guitar; Evan Gregor: bass; Jon Wikan: drums.

New Shoes: Kind of Blue at 60