It’s fitting that trumpet and flugelhorn legend Clark Terry should have his compositions interpreted in big band fashioned, as been has done here by arranger Mark Masters and baritone saxist Adam Schroeder. The all star team of Angelenos include Bob Sheppard/ts-ss, Kirsten Edkins/ts, Francisco Torres/tb, Peter Erskin/dr and Dan Fornero in lead trumpet, but it’s the spirit of CT that is captured here.
Terry is most known for his work with Duke Ellington and Count Basie, but his own big band was impressive all its own. It was a brilliant idea to have bari man Schroeder take most of the solos, as on the bopping “Serenade to a Bus Seat”, the swinging “In Orbit” or the California Cool “Boomerang” (with some fun work by Erskine), as the selection of instruments adheres to the idea of salutation and not imitation. Howver, Aaron Janik is sweet on the brass on “Michelle” and hip around the saxist Sal Lozanon the Ellingtonian “Perdido Line” while Sheppard and Edkins go to Kansas City on “Ode To Pres”. Great, but what, no “Mumbles”?