Album:
A Perfect Match
Size: 120,2 MB
Time: 51:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2003
Styles: Big Band
Art: Front
01. The Gorillaman Blues (6:10)
02. Lullaby Of Birdland (6:10)
03. Full Count (4:49)
04. Chelsea Bridge (4:37)
05. Brush Taps (4:04)
06. Granada Smoothie (5:31)
07. Boptitude Test (5:14)
08. After You've Gone (4:11)
09. Soft Skies (4:48)
10. Kansas City (6:03)
This is the second album I’ve encountered that promised A Perfect Match, and both have made good on that unequivocal warranty. What is “matched” herein are the invigorating compositions and arrangements of Mark Taylor and a rip-roaring big band securely anchored by drummer Steve Fidyk and comprised mainly of personnel from two of the country’s leading military ensembles, the Army Blues and Navy Commodores. It’s always a kick to hear them working so closely and so well together.
Taylor and Fidyk have been members of a mutual admiration society since Steve came to DC to take over the Blues’ drum chair, so it was all but inevitable that they’d decide one day to record an album of Taylor's music with Fidyk serving as commander-in-chief. It seemed A Perfect Match, and that is precisely how it turned out. As another pretty fair drummer, Peter Erskine, observes, “. . .the playing is superlative and the writing is great.” He is, of course, correct on both counts. From the brawny curtain-raiser, “Gorillaman Blues,” to Lieber and Stoller’s R&B smash, “Kansas City,” which showcases the band’s awesome trombone section, the collaborative enterprise is marvelously enriched by Taylor’s creative energy and Fidyk’s masterful control. Taylor composed half of the album’s ten selections, wrote all of the charts, co-authored the playful “Brush Taps” with drummer Louie Bellson, and affirms with every stroke of the pen that he is among the world’s most impressive big-band composer / arrangers. “Gorillaman Blues” is a spectacular tour de force for the ensemble, but no more so than Taylor’s “Full Count,” “Boptitude Test,” “Soft Skies” or “Granada Smoothie,” the last written for the peerless Stan Kenton Orchestra.
Not content to rest on his laurels, Taylor transforms George Shearing’s melodious “Lullaby of Birdland” into a sprightly cha cha, the usually kinetic standard “After You’ve Gone” into a sumptuous ballad. Rounding out the program is Billy Strayhorn’s mournful “Chelsea Bridge,” a sturdy platform for Bill Mulligan’s plaintive alto sax. Other featured performers are pianist Tony Nalker (“After You’ve Gone”) and trombonist Matt Niess (“Soft Skies”). They’re letter-perfect, as are the other soloists — baritone Scott Silbert, trumpeter Graham Breedlove (“Gorillaman Blues”); Breedlove (flugel), Fidyk, alto Scott Weinhold (“Birdland”); bassist Jim Roberts, tenors Luis Hernandez and Joseph Henson (“Full Count”); Fidyk, trumpeter Craig Fraedrich (“Brush Taps”); Fidyk, flugel Tom Williams, trombonist Jim McFalls (“Granada Smoothie”); trombonists Niess, McFalls, Jay Gibble (“Kansas City”) — and the ensemble itself, steadfastly inspired by Fidyk and lead trumpeter Liesl Whitaker. This is big-band music-making at its spine-tingling best, and if A Perfect Match doesn’t light your fire, you’d best double-check to be absolutely sure the pilot light hasn’t gone out. ~By Jack Bowers
Personnel: Mark Taylor, conductor, composer, arranger; Steve Fidyk, co-leader, drums, percussion; Bill Mulligan, Scott Weinhold, Luis Hernandez, Joseph Henson, Scott Silbert, reeds; Liesl Whitaker, Ken McGee, Graham Breedlove, Craig Fraedrich, Tom Williams, trumpet; Matt Niess, Jim McFalls, Jay Gibble, trombone; Jeff Cortazzo, bass trombone; Tony Nalker, piano; Jim Roberts, bass.
A Perfect Match
Album:
Live At Blues Alley
Size: 139,3 MB
Time: 59:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2006
Styles: Big Band
Art: Front
01. Intro ( 0:07)
02. Full Count ( 6:40)
03. Maiden Voyage ( 5:24)
04. Bradley's Bop House ( 5:31)
05. My One And Only Love ( 0:11)
06. When Johnny Comes Marching Home (10:08)
07. What'll I Do' ( 5:27)
08. Anthropology ( 5:29)
09. Brush Taps ( 4:10)
10. My Cherie Amour ( 4:44)
11. The Gorillaman Blues ( 7:05)
Here's a second impressive album by the outstanding Taylor/Fidyk Big Band, in every respect a worthy successor to its superlative studio date, A Perfect Match, from three years ago. The same basic ingredients—exhilarating charts by co-leader Mark Taylor, inspired blowing by the ensemble—are amplified this time around by the adrenaline rush induced by the presence of an audience at Blues Alley in Washington, DC.
As before, the band is comprised largely of Army Blues, Airmen of Note and Navy Commodores in civvies—and it can't get much better than that. Fidyk anchors a smokin' all-Blues rhythm section (Tony Nalker, piano; Jim Roberts, bass), and the band boasts not one but two remarkable lead trumpeters, one each from the Blues (Liesl Whitaker) and Airmen (Brian MacDonald). To underscore its kinship to the earlier album, three of Taylor's original compositions—"Full Count, "Brush Taps, "The Gorillaman Blues — reappear on this one. Ordinarily, that could be a sticking point, but it's refreshing to hear these splendid charts performed in concert and compare them with the studio versions, which vary in specifics if not in temperament. For example, tenor Joseph Henson duels with Tedd Baker, not Luis Hernandez, on "Full Count, while trombonist Matt Niess replaces baritone Scott Silbert as a soloist (alongside growling trumpeter Graham Breedlove) on the muscular "Gorillaman Blues, which opened the earlier album and closes this one.
Silbert, the lone Navy Commodore on the duty roster, has his own seductive showcase, "My One and Only Love. Nalker is featured on Irving Berlin's "What'll I Do, trombonist Jim McFalls on Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage, alto saxophonist Bill Linney on Stevie Wonder's pop hit, "My Cherie Amour, Fidyk (with trumpeter Craig Fraedrich) on the gently understated "Brush Taps (co-written by Taylor and drummer Louie Bellson). Besides the tunes already mentioned, Taylor wrote the buoyant "Bradley's Bop House (dapper solos courtesy of Fraedrich and Baker) and arranged everything save the upbeat anthem "When Johnny Comes Marching Home, scored as a towering home run for Fidyk on his first turn at bat. Bassist Roberts is formidable here, as he is throughout the album.
The unsigned liner notes pay homage to recording engineer Bob Dawson, and for good reason. I've heard more than a few studio sessions that weren't as well-recorded as this. The balance, shadings and dynamics are such that the band could be playing in one's living room. But no matter what the venue, this is one of the finest big bands you're likely to hear in this or any other year. Those who've enjoyed A Perfect Match won't need any prodding from yours truly to check out its charming sequel, Live at Blues Alley. ~By Jack Bowers
Personnel: Mark Taylor: composer, arranger, co-leader; Steve Fidyk: drums, co-leader; Liesl Whitaker, Brian MacDonald, Craig Fraedrich, Graham Breedlove: trumpet; Antonio Orta, Bill Linney: alto sax Joseph Henson, Tedd Baker: tenor sax; Scott Silbert: baritone sax; Matt Neiss, Jim McFalls, Jay Gibble, trombone: Jeff Cortazzo: bass trombone; Tony Nalker: piano; Jim Roberts: bass.
Live At Blues Alley
