Jihye  Lee Orchestra: Daring Mind

Composer and conductor Jihye Lee leads what is called in the vernacular an “Arranger’s Band”, meaning the star of the show is the charts, not necessarily the soloists. Don’t get me wrong; the 17 member band has some of the best jazzers around, such as Sean Jones/tp, Mark Ferber/dr, Nick Grinder/tb and Alan Ferber/tb, but what you’ll pay attention to are the clever works of Ms. Lee’s pen. There is intricate session work around Ferber’s and Jones’ solos on “Relentless Mind” as well as a cheerful buildup for Jones ON “Struggle Over Strength”. The woodwinds flutter about on “GB” and the horns jab like middleweights for “Dissatisfied Minds”. Bassist Evan Gregor and guitarist Sebastian Noelle get some space on the bluesy “Why Is That” and pianist Adam Birnbaum is rich around the fluffy and folksy “Suji”. The whole is more than a sum of the musical parts in this intelligent mix of ideas.

www.jihyemusic.com

 

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