While they don’t tour like they used to, Big Bands are still popular in the studio. If any of these orchestras come to town, check them out, as if for no other reason to help subsidize the efforts. Luckily, there’s rewarding sounds for your investment as well
Leading a big band dedicated to a “new” big band tradition, Ira B. Liss leads a collection of hard hitting So Cals including Bob Mintzer/ts, Eric Marienthal/as, Holly Hoffman/fl and Dean Brown/g. The team is bold, and hits hard as electric bassist Lance Jeppesen lays down hip lines for Christopher Hollyday’s steamy alto sax on a charging “You Don’t Know What Love Is.” Marienthal delivers wonderful schmaltz on a passionate “Early Autumn” and Mintzer swaggers on his rock shuffling “When the Lady Dances.” The team gets funky with fusion on “Manhattan Burn” and bel canto on “Over the Rainbow” Vocalist Janet Hammer is cozy on “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was,” moody and wanderlust with Hoffman on “Nature Boy,” complete with bird tweets, and slinky on a slithering “Ya Turn Me On, Baby.” Classic sounds in bold colors.
The Electric Squeezebox Orchestra is a California based band, and on this album has trumpeter Erik Jekabson and baris saxist Charlie Gurke supplying most of the material. The charts are clever and modern, with chirping horns and guitar teaming with floating flutes on “Gualala” or charging with John Santos’ Latin percussion on the extroverted “Jungle Rumble” with vibrant solos by by Darren Johnston/tp and, Marcus Stephens/ts . Gurke’s “The Captain” has warm brass floating over the percussion while “A.N.I.F” is as sleek as chrome fins on a 61 Chevy. Trumpeter Doug Morton’s arrangement of McCoy Tyner’s “Senor Carlos” is filled with a scintillating groove, with his own horn searing through the rivulet. Percolating sounds.
Tenor Saxist Andrew Neu has a classic big, bold and brawny sound, sounding like a throwback to the smoky days of Ike Quebec or Stanley Turrentine as he leads a macho man band including Waye Bergeron/tp, Randy Brecker/tp, Brian Bromberg/b, Eric Marientahl/as, Bob Mintzer/ts and Gordon Goodwin/ts. The charts are filled with 3rd degree burning charts like Neu’s own bluesy shuffle “Juggernaut” which has the leader rolling in like a London fog while sizzling like a Pink’s Hot Dog on “What is This Thing Called Love?”. Bergeron is seamless as he gets lyrical around Bromberg’s piccolo bass on “Wasamba” and Marienthal delivers a gorgeous aria on “My Dear.” Goodwin seems comfy not in the spotlight, delivering a smooth as silk tenor solo on “Too Much of A Good Time” and Braun shows some brawn on his bel canto “Cinema Paradiso.” Any local gigs coming up?