Most of them were swing bands such as Basie, Goodman etc. and, of course, there was Ellington who always had one foot in the groove and one on the concert stage. That he accomplished both magnificently is written in stone and, if Joe Oliver hadn't got in there first then surely he would have been crowned King Ellington.
However, there were also other forward thinking bands of the swing era looking beyond the dancehall. Claude Thornhill, Boyd Raeburn, Stan Kenton, George Russell, Gil Evans, Mike Gibbs and Kenny Wheeler were among those who saw a future for orchestral (big band was now passé) jazz and Chuck Owen is a worthy waver of that baton. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of his Grammy-nominated Jazz Surge big band he carries on the tradition whilst adding a few contemporary influences along the way although not enough to hurt.
His arrangements are superb and original. The band swings twenty-first century style with some great soloists, not least Sara Caswell's violin solo on Trail of the Ancients although, in fairness, over the album everyone was on the money. Guest Warren Wolf on vibes was also up there in the shake-up - he's some player!.
If you love big bands then this is for you. If you don't love big bands then this is even more so for you - Damascus is on the horizon. Lance
Available Sept. 17 on Summit Records.
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