A reimagined collection of college fight songs may seem a strange concept for an album although, after their recent presidential election, nothing surprises me when it comes to our American friends.
However, that's bye the bye and the end results of this album by co-leaders Butler and Fasig's Visions Jazz Ensemble works out surprisingly well.
Thirteen fight songs from as many US universities each, as the label says, reimagined. Seemingly the songs are sung at football games with the intent of spurring their team on to victory. I don't know if the Byker Boot Boys when they were causing mayhem outside of St James' Park when Newcastle United were playing at home had a fight song but, if they did, it could have been track seven on Across the Field where guest trombonist Wycliffe Gordon gives a raucous workout on Florida A&M University's anthem (There'll be a) Hot Time in the Old Town (Toon?) Tonight.
Tiger Rag does the business for Louisiana State with a high-note bop solo from Butler and an ensemble chorus that sounds like a hard bop band playing trad - the flatted fifths are everywhere! Amazing!.
The Naval Academy is, predictably, represented by Anchors Away with booting tenor from Fasig and bass from Smith.
Indiana, Our Indiana has the septet singing it in a respectful manner. As they are all graduates of the university I'd have expected nothing less. However, enough is enough and they soon break ranks and go off into a Horace Silver inspired arrangement with Recktenwald taking an impressive solo.
And so it goes from campus to campus via: Tennessee (Rocky Top), Ohio State (Across the Field) and Georgia for Glory, Glory where Parker and Butler's solos go marching on to musical glory.
The University of Southern California (Fight On), Purdue University (Hail Purdue), The University of Michigan (The Victors) - this is becoming a bit like reading Kerouac's On the Road only better. Georgia Tech provides Ramblin' Wreck and Notre Dame gives us Victory March before our journey ends with On Wisconsin. This has been both informative and exciting.
My old school hymn I Vow to Thee my Country, wasn't a fight song at all although, upon reflection, maybe it was. I don't mean the ongoing battle 'twixt pupil and teacher but the original poem, written by Sir Cecil Spring Rice just after the first world war, most certainly was to the extent that a verse was subsequently replaced with a more Godlike stanza.
However, I digress, Across the Field is a fun thing that's done brilliantly - the originals will never sound the same and if the teams aren't inspired by these arrangements* then maybe they're in the wrong game. Lance
*Tks 1, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12 arr. by Butler. Tks 1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 13 arr. by Fasig. Tk 7 arr. by Butler & FasIig.
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