Rock & Roll Big Band Jazz

[rcarlberg]

My recent unexpected brush with The National Jazz Ensemble caused me to remember another big band ensemble I used to own, three albums by Baird Hersey & The Year of the Ear. These are pretty unique in the world of big band music in that Baird plays electric guitar on them, and he has an electric bassist and rock drummer and the tracks are as much Big Band Rock as they are Big Band Jazz. Some sections are majorly wild.

Alas, they're only on LP and have never been reissued on CD.

THEN I discovered that iTunes has them for download, nice master tape dubs (no surface noise) and only minor problems with the track splits (some songs segue without stopping). Wah-hoo! They sound even better than I remember them.

Hersey has had an interesting career. His first release was with a prog-psych rock band "Swampgas" in 1972, followed by the Year of the Ear recordings (1975 - 1979), an absolutely bonkers free-jazz album with percussionist David Moss (1977), a great instrumental electronic synth+guitar album (1980) followed by three '80s vocal electropop albums. Then in the 2000's Hersey turned to Indian religious vocal overtone music with his ensemble Prana. That's quite a journey.

[Supersonic Scientist]

Geez...never heard of this guy or any of the releases you mentioned...sounds like something worth exploring...THX. !

[Trane]

yup; wxaiting to hear more about this

[rcarlberg]

[rcarlberg]

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Reminds me more than a little of Chicago's more proggy/jazzy stuff, but maybe a bit more out there.

[rcarlberg]

The National Jazz Ensemble also used electric guitar and synthesizer, but maybe another comparison would be electric Miles 1970-1977.

[MoZo]

My two bits- I am pretty sure the Ed Palermo Big Band has been mentioned here. They do a lot of Zappa arrangements for big band. Their 2017 CD 'The Great Unamerican Song Book' features some King Crimson, Traffic. Emerson, Lake and Palmer, among others.
Also, check out this German big band- Monika Roscher Big-Band. Her most recent CD- Of Monsters and Birds is pretty interesting.
And last, but certainly not least- Perhaps not a 'Rock and Roll Big Band' but certainly a progressive big band- Don Ellis Orchestra. Anything by him is superb, but check out the love CD 'Tears of Joy' or their debut on Columbia Records back in 1967 'Electric Bath.' Amazing music indeed.

[rcarlberg]

Thanks for the reccos, MoZo. Ed Palermo is indeed another reference point, though I find his "jazz versions of rock songs" to be 100% jazz. They're very nice, and sometimes very funny takes on music we all know & love in another context. He's got a great sense of humor.

I looked into Monika Roscher "Of Monsters & Birds" on iTunes, and I'm not quite sure why you mentioned her. The album appears to be pop songs (sung), not even backed by a horn section. What's the relevance to Baird Hersey?

Don Ellis has also done a lot of nice jazz, much of it with a Creed Taylor-type sensibility with some electric instruments. But as you point out, he is "not a Rock and Roll Big Band," not by any stretch.

Gil Evans -- particularly his album of Hendrix covers -- would be another "progressive big band."

[rcarlberg]

Another Big Band with some serious rock chops is Neil Ardley's band.

• His A Symphony of Amaranths (1971) includes Karl Jenkins on e-piano, Jeff Clyne on bass, Jon Hiseman on drums, Dick Heckstall-Smith on sax, and a long list of others (including Ivor Cutler on one track!)
  
• His Kaleidoscope of Rainbows (1976) includes Ian Carr, Paul Buckmaster, Geoff Castle, Dave MacRae, Roger Sutton, Trevor Tomkins, and lots of synthesizer.
  
• His Harmony of the Spheres (1979)includes Ina Carr, Geoff Castle, Bill Kristian, Tony Coe, Trevor Tomkins, John Martyn, and others. More synth.

[markwoll]

Although it can be pretty campy, The Brian Setzer Orchestra is Rock & Roll Big Band Jazz.
Rock & Roll in the 50's rockabilly sense and Big Band in the swing band sense.
Pretty enjoyable, seen their Christmas show a couple of times and will again this fall.

[Wah3]

Phil Collins' big band with various solos:
2:04 - Gerald Albright: Alto Sax
5:20 - Klaus Doldinger: Tenor Sax
8:09 - Sadao Watanabe: Alto Sax
10:47 - George Duke: Piano
13:25 - Pee Wee Ellis: Tenor Sax
17:40 - James Carter: Tenor Sax

[Baribrotzer]

I looked into Monika Roscher "Of Monsters & Birds" on iTunes, and I'm not quite sure why you mentioned her. The album appears to be pop songs (sung), not even backed by a horn section.

I'm not sure how you got that impression, unless you only listened to a few tracks for a few seconds apiece. Yes, most of the tunes start out as pop songs. But they don't stay there - they take off in unexpected directions as the horns come in, and unfold into jazz solos and scored passages.

[thedunno]

Monika Roscher big band is great. She is a big Zappa fan and you can hear that. Not surprising she was invited to play Zappanale festival this weekend (which i missed because I had to work, damnit).

[Trane]

Another Big Band with some serious rock chops is Neil Ardley's band.

• His A Symphony of Amaranths (1971) includes Karl Jenkins on e-piano, Jeff Clyne on bass, Jon Hiseman on drums, Dick Heckstall-Smith on sax, and a long list of others (including Ivor Cutler on one track!)
  
• His Kaleidoscope of Rainbows (1976) includes Ian Carr, Paul Buckmaster, Geoff Castle, Dave MacRae, Roger Sutton, Trevor Tomkins, and lots of synthesizer.
  
• His Harmony of the Spheres (1979)includes Ina Carr, Geoff Castle, Bill Kristian, Tony Coe, Trevor Tomkins, John Martyn, and others. More synth.

Three great albums, preceded by another three (inclding two with The New Jazz Orchestra), but Greek Variations and Amaranths had many classical music (Third Stream) in them as well.

[flytomars]

Monika Roscher big band is great. She is a big Zappa fan and you can hear that. Not surprising she was invited to play Zappanale festival this weekend (which i missed because I had to work, damnit).

I did not miss
It was great.
And I saw another big band that fits the bill-
Flat Earth Society with a concept piece called Boggamasta. Not alot of camples on YT but I assure you they are great.

[rcarlberg]

Oh yeah, Peter Vermeersch's band. Good call. A couple of X-Legged Sally refugees in there too.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

My recent unexpected brush with The National Jazz Ensemble caused me to remember another big band ensemble I used to own, three albums by Baird Hersey & The Year of the Ear. These are pretty unique in the world of big band music in that Baird plays electric guitar on them, and he has an electric bassist and rock drummer and the tracks are as much Big Band Rock as they are Big Band Jazz. Some sections are majorly wild.

awesome albums! I have Looking for that Groove and Have You Heard? and those 2 are absolutely killer!

modern day version, but unique in their own way is Snarky Puppy

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

I almost liked the PCBB version of "Pick up the Pieces" there ... but then it went onnnnn and onnnnn... This is exactly what people mean when they accuse prog players of wankery...