Knoxville Jazz Orchestra – Christmas Time Is Here
What makes an album of Christmas music distinct from another? When the artist shakes up traditional arrangements and creates some fresh and invigorating. That’s what listeners get with Christmas Time Is Here by the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. Some of the arrangements are closer to classical music than jazz, but that’s hardly an issue.
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is a slow, mellow take that features Greg Tardy on tenor sax. That’s followed by a slightly more upbeat spin on “Let It Snow,” featuring pianist Bill Swann and trombonist Tom Lundberg. Overall, the horns are more prominent.
The brass comes through strongly on the swinging “Deck the Halls,” featuring Tardy and bassist Rusty Holloway. Tardy’s middle solo sizzles. The orchestra goes into full sass mode with “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” featuring Dan Trudell on Hammond B3, William Boyd on tenor sax and drummer Keith Brown.
Other holiday favorites are “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Tchaikovsky’s “Russian Dance” (from The Nutcracker), “Jingle Bells,” “A Not-So Silent Night,” the title song and “Children Go Where I Send Thee.”
Cross the Chick Corea Acoustik Band with the Yellowjackets, and you might get something that sounds like The Impossible Gentlemen.
Anna Estrada’s voice has a rich, soothing quality, enhanced by her versatility of style and language. The San Francisco Bay-area vocalist scores with her third release, Volando (Feral Flight Productions, 2012). The 12-song set brings a taste of Latin and Brazilian, throwing in some clever arrangements of pop and rock hits.
Some artists, because of their penchant for excellence without sounding trite or cookie-cutter, earn the designation of “can do no wrong.” Normally, this applies to veteran musicians who have been at it for decades, like guitarist Steve Khan or drummer Peter Erskine. Brittni Paiva, just 23 at the time of recording Tell U What (Brittni Paiva Music, 2012), is quickly moving in that direction.
Get in. Make your point. Get out. That appears to be the approach of tenor saxophonist Dan Wilensky with his fourth recording as a leader, Back in the Mix (Speechless Productions, 2012). He wastes no effort and doesn’t extend songs just for the sake of extending them.
Often, when one thinks of Duke Ellington, songs like “Take the A Train” and “Satin Doll” come to mind. However, the American Jazz Institute decided to focus on Ellington recordings that were composed by members of his saxophone section. Ellington Saxophone Encounters (Capri Records, 2012) features the Mark Masters Ensemble with baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan.
An album of covers in smooth or contemporary jazz has the potential for boredom. But when the arrangements are distinct and the songs aren’t your typical remakes, the results can be fun and exciting. So enters the Randy Hoexter Group with Fromage (Rhombic Records, 2012).
Phoenix-based guitarist and composer Pete Gitlin already played in his teens and twenties in rock, fusion, and funk bands. Wisely he decided to earn his money in the big business. But he has never forgotten his real love and in 2007 he returned to the music. Together with drummer and producer John Herrera from the legendary Phoenix band Turning Point he created his first album Full Circle and the Great Temptation in 2008.
Sometimes, music defies oral or written description. It’s best just to listen. That’s the feeling created by Bill Cantrall and Axiom with Live at the Kitano (Up Swing Records, 2012). Recorded in 2010 at the Kitano Hotel in New York City, this recording is about as close as one can get to being there.
Something a little different, that’s Charles Compo’s Foolish Pleasure (Chaos Music, 2012). Though composed of all-new material, the music is a throwback to the days when horn players – saxophonists and trumpeters, mainly – stepped out from the jazz orchestra and fronted smaller ensembles, playing music their own way. Among them: Jackie MacLean, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Cannonball Adderley. There’s a little bit of pop, a little bit of fusion and a lot of Compo’s showmanship.
