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Thread: Big Band favorites

  1. #1
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    Big Band favorites

    Saw the Harry James Orchestra yesterday. Thought we could talk about some of the great big band jazz albums that have come out over the years. Keep this music alive!

  2. #2
    I've got a bunch of Duke Ellington albums. A few of my favorites:

    Far East Suite
    Three Suites
    The Ellington Suites
    The Afro-Euroasian Eclipse
    Such Sweet Thunder
    An Anatomy Of A Murder

    Then there's the Sun Ra Arkestra, I've got a whole truckload of their albums. Of those, some of my favorites are:

    Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy
    The Magic City
    Black Myth/Out In Space
    Space Is The Place (the album originally released on Blue Thumb, later reissued on Impulse!)
    Space Is The Place soundtrack (a completely different set of recordings to the above, issued on Evidence)
    The Nubians Of Plutonia
    Fate In A Pleasant Mood
    When Sun Comes Out
    We Travel The Spaceways
    When Angels Speak Of Love
    Atlantis (well, side two might be characterized as "big band")
    Strange Celestial Road
    My Brother The Wind Vol. II
    Pathways To Unknown Worlds
    Crystal Spears
    Cymbals
    Nothing Is...
    Nidhamu
    Live In Egypt

  3. #3
    Member helicase's Avatar
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    Well, there's Centipede's Septober Energy of course.

    Mike Westbrook Orchestra - The Cortège:


    Nils Wogram and the NDR Bigband - Portrait of a Band:

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    Quote Originally Posted by helicase View Post
    Mike Westbrook Orchestra - The Cortège
    A favorite for many years.

    Westbrook has done a fair amount of other excellent work; a couple of favorites are:
    - London Bridge Has Broken Down, a sort of Cortege, Vol. II
    - On Duke's Birthday, dedicated to and inspired by Duke Ellington, but not imitating him in any way.

    Also, the Monika Roscher Big Band - somewhere between indie rock, big band jazz, modern composition, and prog:

    http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...CHER-BIG-BAND?

    http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...d-Once-Again!?

  5. #5
    Casanova TCC's Avatar
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    Fan here too!.

    I've been listening lately to:

    .Flat Earth Society - Untitled #0 (2018).

    The Flat Earth Society (FES) is a Belgian big band ensemble founded and led by Peter Vermeersch. They mix the rich Belgian brass band (HaFaBra) tradition with characteristic topsy-turvy creativity.



    .The Gareth Lockrane Big Band - Fistfight at the Barndance (2017).

    "Infectious, well-crafted pieces draw from latin, funk, New Orleans second line and blues rock idioms... Lockrane's sinuous flute solos are the pick of the bunch."
    Jazzwise Magazine


    https://garethlockrane.bandcamp.com/...-the-barndance

    .Big Heart Machine - Same. (2018).

    " … features a vast range of music that explores the intersection of jazz improvisation, contemporary composition, and heavy metal aesthetics."

    https://bigheartmachine.bandcamp.com...-heart-machine

    .Hermeto Pascoal & Big Band ‎– Natureza Universal (2017).



    Regards!.
    Last edited by TCC; 01-21-2019 at 12:16 AM.
    Pura Vida!.

    There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
    Duke Ellington.

  6. #6
    Member helicase's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Baribrotzer View Post
    Westbrook has done a fair amount of other excellent work; a couple of favorites are:
    - London Bridge Has Broken Down, a sort of Cortege, Vol. II
    - On Duke's Birthday, dedicated to and inspired by Duke Ellington, but not imitating him in any way.
    Agreed, London Bridge is pretty good, too, but not quite as consistently great as The Cortège, IMO. I've avoided On Duke's Birthday so far, because I thought it was an album with Ellington covers. Looks like I was wrong. I'll have to check it out then.

    Other Westbrook favourites: Metropolis, Marching Songs 1&2 and Love Songs.

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    Charles Tolliver’s ‘Music Inc.’ and ‘Impact’ (both on Strata East). Both are available in the Mosaic Tolliver Big Band collection which has a bonus disc of an unreleased big band performance from 1979 which is also pretty great.
    Clarke/Boland ‘The Golden Eight’ (Blue Note...the Music Matters pressing is exceptional).
    Tubby Hayes ‘100% Proof’ (many copies of both CD and LP are mono...avoid those if possible. The band, arrangements and playing are HUGE and mono doesn’t quite do justice. There’s an LP stereo reissue on Philips to be had cheaply which I recommend highly).
    Daily jazz vinyl reviews on Instagram @jazzandcoffee

  8. #8
    Member StarThrower's Avatar
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    John Hollenbeck-Joys and Desires, Shut Up and Dance
    Muhal Richard Abrams-Hearinga Suite
    Exploding Star Orchestra w/ Bill Dixon
    Either/Orchestra-Live In Addis, Across The Omniverse
    Joe Henderson Big Band

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Fracktured View Post
    Saw the Harry James Orchestra yesterday. Thought we could talk about some of the great big band jazz albums that have come out over the years. Keep this music alive!

    My uncle, Al Lerner, played piano with Harry James during their heyday.

    I used to love hanging out at my uncle's house when I was a kid and teen, and watching him practice. I wasn't really a fan of that era and style of big band music, but there was no questioning my uncle's chops. He was a monster!

    On any given day, various musical greats would drop by. Buddy Rich, Rosemary Clooney, Alan Sherman, among many others.

    He was a big Keith Emerson fan.


    I am a fan of these very recent bands, among others:


    Micheal Formeanek and Ensemble Kolossus



    Steve Coman and the Council of Balance





    Darcy James Argue's Secret Society


    And if there were a god, I think it very unlikely that he would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence - Russell

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    Member StarThrower's Avatar
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    Forgot about Formanek. I have The Distance CD. I dig all his stuff.

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    Quote Originally Posted by simon moon View Post

    Darcy James Argue's Secret Society
    How could I forget these guys? I'm a fan. Real Enemies, their most recent, was a concept album and semi-staged concert about American Paranoia. Written in the 12-tone idiom, it drew from multiple movie scores (including David Shire's work for The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3) had definite prog overtones, wound up on a number of best-of-2016 lists including Pitchfork's, and was short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize. It is truly amazing work, and pulls jazz into areas usually occupied by opera or cantatas. I think that in both music and concept, it's the equal of any recent classical work I've heard.


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    Member helicase's Avatar
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    Looks (sounds) like I need that Michael Formanek album

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    Casanova TCC's Avatar
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    Hello Gang!.
    With some "nostalgia", 3 for tonight:
    Now I'm playing music that my Father and I enjoyed a lot back in the day:

    - "Tumbao Cubano" - Cuban Big Band Sound as interpreted by Bill Evans and Tony Scott.


    - Chico O'Farrill & Afro Cuban Jazz Big Band Trumopet Fantasy.


    - The Big Band - Latin Jazz.


    Regards.!
    Pura Vida!.

    There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
    Duke Ellington.

  14. #14
    Casanova TCC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by helicase View Post
    Looks (sounds) like I need that Michael Formanek album
    +1
    Pura Vida!.

    There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
    Duke Ellington.

  15. #15
    Casanova TCC's Avatar
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    Finally, a favorite of mine:
    Raúl Gutierrez and his Cuban Big Band.

    - https://youtu.be/EucfGYM6y-0

    - https://youtu.be/YdckB3meYXo

    - https://youtu.be/ZiwsV6rwPnM




    Cambio y fuera!.
    Pura Vida!.

    There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
    Duke Ellington.

  16. #16
    Profondo Giallo Crystal Plumage's Avatar
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    I play in a great local Big Band. At the moment one of the pieces we are playing is Pat Metheny's Minuano by the Bob Curnow Big Band:

    Great song and much fun playing it.
    HuGo
    "Very, very nice," said a man in the crowd,
    When the golden voice appeared.
    She was gold alright, but then so is rust.
    "Such a shame about the beard."

  17. #17
    Member BobM's Avatar
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    Check out Big Phat Band, they have a bunch of great albums.

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  18. #18
    Member BobM's Avatar
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    A kind of semi big band you might love is Snarky Puppy

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  19. #19
    Have to put in a kind word for Cab Calloway and his orchestra. The singer was always the focus but the band was hot, cool, and hep. (Dizzy Gillespie, among others, worked for Cab at one time. Cab did not like Gillespie's early experimentation and told him he didn't want "no Chinese music" in his band.)

    Here's a good performance followed by some amazing dancing.

    Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.

  20. #20
    Member adap2it's Avatar
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    https://nojo1.bandcamp.com/

    NOJO..I've been listening to this band for 20 years...
    Dave Sr.

    I prefer Nature to Human Nature

  21. #21
    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

  22. #22
    I just listened put on Woody Herman's His Octet and His Band last weekend. Probably due for a Buddy Rich binge in the very near future.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sturgeon's Lawyer View Post
    Have to put in a kind word for Cab Calloway and his orchestra. The singer was always the focus but the band was hot, cool, and hep. (Dizzy Gillespie, among others, worked for Cab at one time. Cab did not like Gillespie's early experimentation and told him he didn't want "no Chinese music" in his band.)

    Here's a good performance followed by some amazing dancing.

    I've seen that video before and never get tired of watching again. Amazing dancing. Great video.

    Thanks for all the suggestions, some aren't for me but never-the-less I appreciate them.

  24. #24
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    Mingus Big Band albums are outrageously good.

  25. #25
    Casanova TCC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by adap2it View Post
    https://nojo1.bandcamp.com/

    NOJO..I've been listening to this band for 20 years...
    Nice!.
    First time here, like it!.
    Tankx!.
    Pura Vida!.

    There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
    Duke Ellington.

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