(Review by Lance).
The Swing/Big Band era may no longer be with us but it is far from dead. I guess just about every major city in the jazz orientated world has it's fair quota of musicians who rehearse diligently in pubs and clubs, emerging every so often, to remind the public how it was, how it is and how it will be as long as there are people around who appreciate a well scored orchestration performed by persons (I almost said 'guys'!) capable of reading and blowing exciting solos.
As we, on Tyneside and Teesside, know, this species - once filed alongside dinosaurs and brontosauri' - is very much alive.
However, this CD isn't Jurassic Park - it's Central Park - and the players are all first call musicians from the, I quote, Bustling New York Scene, hailing from all over the globe. From Asia and Australia to Great Britain and Israel.
Can anyone name the GB representative?
Israeli born leader Vilner is a superb jazzman - as indeed are all the blowers and there's some nice vocals in there too.
The material is from Ellington, Strayhorn, Golson, Jimmy Owens, Clark Terry, Harry Edison, Cole Porter, Billy Reid (The Gypsy), Nat Cole and Vilner himself.
Looks to be in the running for this month's CD gong.
Warning!
Tread softly if you're going out tonight, you may find sixteen dinosaurs swinging in a bar near you! Don't worry, they are tame and don't bite - apart from when they're on the stand where they may try to cut each other to death - the tenor breed, in particular, are the jazz equivalent of the sabre tooth tiger!
Lance.
Eyal Vilner Big Band - Almost Sunrise is available on Gut String records.
Eyal Vilner (alt/fl/arr./md); + collectively, Charence Wade, Nadia Washington, Charles Turner, (vcl); Dan Block, Andrew Gould, Asaf Yuria, Lucas Pino, Eden Bareket (reeds); Bryan Davis, Greg Gisbert, Matt Jodrell, Wayne Tucker (tpt/flug); John Mosca, Nick Finzer, Max Seigel (tmb); Tadataka Unno (pno); Jennifer Vincent (bs); Joe Strasser (dms).
No comments :
Post a Comment