Customer Reviews

All in Good Time

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The CD of Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass -- All in Good Time -- is an excellent example of modern big band writing and playing. I especially enjoy "Close Enough For Love" with Guido Basso on flugelhorn. The writing is exceptional and the band plays each arrangement with a virtuoso performance. I will buy more of this band's CDs as well as "The Big Phat Band" of Gordon Goodwin, who also has a fine modern big band.

When you think of great jazz talent from Canada, Maynard Ferguson and Oscar Peterson naturally come to mind. Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass should also be on that list. For those who are always looking for more variety in contemporary big band jazz, here's one place you'll find it. This 1983 album won a well-deserved Grammy award in the U.S. the following year. All the arrangements are by McConnell, who leads a tight ensemble with an array of talented soloists.
The album offers a nice variety. It opens with the best big band arrangement I've every heard of the old standard "I Got Rhythm" (and check out that hot alto solo!). The ballads include "Close Enough for Love" featuring flugelhorn, and a gorgeous rendering of one of my favorites, "Darn That Dream." "Phil Not Bill" is a smooth jazz waltz. There's plenty of swingin' energy in "Ecaroh," the medium blues "Can't Stop My Leg," and "Schlep It Up To Joe," which features tempo changes to keep you guessing and nice solos on piano and tenor sax. The album ends with a short, mellow piece called "Songbird" that shows off some woodwind doubling and demonstrates how warm and sensitive a big ensemble can be.
A great addition to your jazz library.