Though few and far between, there are still existent big bands, usually created for the studio, but if one comes to town, by all means take advantage of the opportunity. Here is a nice sample…
An alumnus of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, drummer Bernie Dresel sounds a lot like his boss’ unit, with a dash of Woody Herman thrown in on this fun and feisty heavyweight of a 14 rounder.
The team jabs and punches hard on the shuffling tunes like “The Pu gulist” and the knockout round of “What Cold Possibly Go Wrong”. Trumpeter Carl Saunders bops on the rocking take of “Lulu’s Back in Town” and even sings like a West Coast Cat on “Positive For The Blues”. Tenor saxists Lom Luer and Rob Lockart go on a wild ride on “100R 200N” with Phat Band alumnus Andrew Synowiec brings in his guitar for a kinetic take of Frank Zappa’s “Zomby Woof”. The team is big, bright, bold and brash on “Running And Jumping” with Kirsten Edkens soulful on the sax for a TV show take of Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough”. A TKO.
Pianist/keyboardist Manuel Valera leads a fragrant Latinized Big Band through a wide range of colors. The team shows its rocking groove on a funky “Remembered” led by Alex Goodman’s guitar, while the team gets post-bopping with Hamish Smith’s bass and Jeremy Powell’s sax on “Pathways”. Valera’s left had is rich on the dreamy “Impressionistic Romance” and introspective on the title tune, fragranced by Charles Pillow’s soprano sax. `A Brazilian sunset shies on “Expectativas” and the band glides on the mature toned “From The Ashes”. South American lights.