(Review by Lance)
DIVA + The Boys
sees the Pittsburgh based all girls big band lure four of their male counterparts
into a live session at the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild which is on 1815 Metropolitan
St in Pittsburgh PA and not to be confused with any craftsmen’s guilds in
Manchester UK.
If
the guys thought they were in for an easy time of it they hadn’t reckoned on
the DIVAS!
Ken Peplowski is, without doubt,
my favourite clarinettist and what better stomping ground for him than Goodman’s
Slipped Disc? DIVA Janelle Reichman obviously thought she
could handle it too and, with the powerhouse band behind her she pushed Ken to
a split decision – listeners, the verdict is up to you!
Deference to Diz was bebop with Peplowski, Roditi and trombonist Jay Ashby strutting down 52nd
St. as if it were 1945. They didn’t have it all their own way though, Tomoko Ohno slotted in a piano solo
that Dodo Marmoroso would have been proud of.
Jay Ashby blew mellow on Nocturna – maybe the best tram sound
around these days. Urbie Green used to get that sound.
The One I Love
Belongs to Somebody Else is meat and potatoes to Peplowski but the gravy was added by DIVA’s Jami Dauber on trumpet with Ohno
making her presence felt. Peplowski
returned to take it out as the pot simmered with the band goosing him along –
listen to the trumpet section behind him!
Piccolo Blues and Roditi blew piccolo trumpet which didn’t
sound that much different to a standard Bb trumpet – still good though. The
girls threw Jennifer Krupa into the
arena and her trombone playing took no prisoners. Likewise Alexis Tarantino who, apart from playing lead alto, flute and
clarinet throughout the session, sizzled on sop sax on this one.
Peplowski displayed his
clarinet wizardry on Estate although
the beautiful picture his notes painted didn’t equate with any of the estates
near me – how do you insert graffiti into a piece of music? Who needs it
anyway?
Bucket of Blues. The boys had
been sent home with a goodnight kiss and five red hot saxophone mamas took
centre stage, spurred on by drummer/leader Sherrie
Maricle who launched the Five Sisters
into orbit. This was a musical cat fight with Tarantino and Scheila Gonzales on altos, Reichman and Cross on tenors
and Leigh Pilzer on bari.
Great
album – all my fantasies have come true!
Personnel not mentioned: Tanya Darby, Rachel Therrien,
Barbara Laranga (trumpet/flugel); Linda Landis, Leslie Havens
(trombones); Nurika Uedda (bass)
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