Big Bands are back, but not like your grandfather’s , or even your uncle’s big bands.
The 21 pieces Royal Krunk Jazz Orchestra with guest Theo Croker/tp and vocalists Dionne Faris w/ Dashill Smith mix funky section work with bright and bold tones. Soulful voices on “ If I Ever Fall In Love” team with lithe guitar and synthesizer, while the saxes get into a soul groove with vocals during “The Critic’s Song” and the team gets Memphis bluesy during the sweet “Hopeless.” Rich bel canto trumpet teams up with hip shaking R&B on “There’ll Never Be/A Brighter Tomorrow/I Call You Name” and the team gets dreamy on “Ballad of the Sad Young Men.” A band made for dancing shoes.
The 12+ team Party Crashers is lead by composer and trumpeter Philip Lassiter who shares the writing skills with vocalist Elliott Yamin and Brett Nolan. The brass is bold and confident on the funky “Take a Ride” while the team stomps along with some rap and vocoder on “Freaky.” The disco ball is spinning on “Happy Train” and the EWF-inspired “Party Crashers” with a dreamy soul ballad by Elliot on”Our Love Is Gold” and a churchy boogie has Lassiter singing on “Epidermis.” Meant to be played loud, with drinks shaken, not stirred.
Bassist David Ricard leads a full bodied big band that features all stars Wayne Bergeron/tp, Noah Preminger/ts, Doug Webb/ts and Grant Geissman/g through a mix of originals and a few covers. The sections are bright and confident as Bergeron sears through the comic book epic “Spider-Man” while Webband Geissman lead the charge on “Come Out Swingin’.” Preminger is featured on a hip read of the classic “The Odd Couple” while Webb bops over the breezy “Pure Imagination.” Ricard’s own “Wandering waltz” has whimsical hues teamed with Preminger’s soprano and his lush “Sarah’s Theme” richly frames Aaron Heick’s alto sax” with the album closing up with the fun rollercoaster ride on ”Riverside Park.” This guy’s got some great ideas.