Customer Reviews

Boss Brass & Woods

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

TRACK LISTING:

OUT OF NOWHERE 4.22

Soloist: Phil Woods

GREENHOUSE 7.42

Soloists: Rob McConnell, Guido Basso and Rick Wilkins

QUINTESSENCE 4.02

Soloist: Phil Woods

IF DREAMS COME TRUE 7.20

Soloists: Ed Bickert and Rick Wilkins

STEREO BLUE 5.20

Soloists: Gene Amaro and Phil Woods

JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS 6.59

Soloists: Guido Basso and Rob McConnell

TRADITIONAL PIECE 12.13

Soloists: Phil Woods and Ed Bickert

JIVE AT FIVE 8.09

Soloists: Rob McConnell and Ed Bickert

Boss Brass & Woods

Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass

Featuring Phil Woods *

Produced by Fernando Gelbard

1) OUT OF NOWHERE (Heyman-Green) (4:25) *

2) GREENHOUSE (Rick Wilkins) (7:44)

3) QUINTESSENCE (Quincy Jones) (4:02) *

4) IF DREAMS COME TRUE (Sampson, Goodman, Mills) (7:21)

5) STEREO BLUE (Rob McConnell) (5:22) *

6) JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS (Cole Porter) (7:00)

7) TRADITIONAL PIECE (Rob McConnell) (12:17) *

8) JIVE AT FIVE (Edison-Basie) (8:09)

ALBUM CREDITS:

THE BOSS BRASS ARRANGED AND CONDUCTED BY ROB MCCONNELL

All selections except "Greenhouse" arranged by Rob McConnell.

"Greenhouse" arranged by Rick Wilkins.

The Boss Brass:

Moe Koffmann (alto sax, soprano sax, flute, piccolo)

Jerry Toth (alto sax, flute, clarinet)

Eugene Amaro (tenor sax, flute)

Rick Wilkins (tenor sax, flute, clarinet)

Bob Leonard (baritone sax, bass clarinet)

Arnie Chycoski (lead trumpet, flugelhorn)

Erich Traugott (associate lead trumpet, flugelhorn)

Guido Basso (trumpet, flugelhorn)

Dave Woods (trumpet, flugelhorn)

John MacLeod (trumpet, flugelhorn)

Rob McConnell (valve trombone)

Ian McDougall (lead trombone)

Bob Livingston (trombone)

Dave McMurdo (trombone)

Ron Hughes (bass trombone)

George Stimpson (French horn)

James MacDonald (French horn)

Jimmy Dale (acoustic and electric piano)

Ed Bickert (guitar)

Steve Wallace (bass)

Terry Clarke (drums)

Brian Leonard (percussion)

Phil Woods (guest alto sax) *

Produced by Fernando Gelbard

Recording Engineer: Phil Sheridan

Mixed by Rob McConnell, Fernando Gelbard and Phil Sheridan

Assistant: Steven Ibelshauser

Mastering: Peter Norman, McClear Place (1985) & Fernando Gelbard (2010)

Cover Design: Fernando Gelbard

Photography: Fernando Gelbard & Barbara McDougall

Digital Release produced by Fernando Gelbard for Liquidjazz

Recorded March 11-12; Mixed March 13-14, 1985 At McClear Place, Toronto, Canada

Ed Bickert appearing courtesy of Concord Records

Recorded on a 24-track Sony Digital Recorder

LINER NOTES

A few words about the album (from 1985):

I am listening to the tape Fernando Gelbard sent me to write something about this album.

The music is so intense that I am deeply touched and filled with emotions.

I have been listening to jazz for over 35 years, and I had the same feeling when I heard for the first time Mulligan's Tentette, The Birth of the Cool or the Gil Evans Orchestra.

Rob McConnell is a "one-of-a-kind" gifted creator of jazz. Like Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, Clifford Brown or Bill Evans, Rob created a new language in this case for big band.

Fernando Gelbard, whom I know since the "Bop Club Argentino" in the early Fifties, is a talented musician and a sober producer. This helped in creating the good and peaceful environment necessary to make this music happen. He picked most of the tunes from Boss Brass live presentations in Toronto a couple of months before the recording session. A deal was made with Phil Woods and he arrived in Toronto on March 10, 1985.

Rob, Fernando and Guido Basso went to the airport to pick him up. Rather than attempting to take Phil to a pub and dinner Fernando suggested that Phil spend the evening resting and watching TV, plus room service. He loved the idea and he did relax!

He recorded his tunes on March 11th , live with the band, no overdubs, and left the next day. The Boss Brass recorded the rest of the tunes on March 12th and on the 13th. And 14Th. the album was edited and mixed. The use of multitrack digital equipment in the recording allowed Phil Sheridan to capture once more this wonderful sound, this time with an added clarity. He used as monitors two small Auratone (tm) "cube" speakers at a very low volume, which is his usual way of recording.

There is a nice story about one of the tunes. In 1961, Quincy Jones recorded with his band and Phil Woods"The Quintessence", one of the most beautiful big band tunes ever made.. In 1985, Rob and Fernando decided to do it again, as a tribute to Quincy. Rob arranged it inspired by Quincy's arrangement. Listening to both versions and trying to pick the favorite one is like trying to decide which French pastry to pick from the tray.

I always liked Phil Woods, and this combination of the Boss Brass and Phil Woods is like a dream come true for jazz fans. With this group of outstanding Canadian musicians that reinvented big band, this hour of music should be from now on an intrinsic part of every jazz collection.

Hugo Feliu, New York 1985

Posted with permission

I don't know what happened to this CD. My late dog got a hold of some of my discs, I don't know, but I'd give my right arm to attain another copy of this album. Everthing was just right in every regard. Worth every penny.

This as a great album, that has somehow been forgotten by the public. Big band music has gone somewhat to the wayside, and I feel like it needs to make a comeback!

I am writing this review in response to the vast lack of information available about it.

This album is full of great original charts as well as great arrangements of standards. Rob McConnell penned two originals for this album which features Phil Woods, the magnificent. Phil Woods is in great form on this album: he sounds vibrant and full of life, and the sounds just flow from his saxophone! What a great idea to have a Boss Brass album with Woods as the featured soloist!

The opener "Out of Nowhere," and the 12-minute long "Traditional Piece" by McConell are standouts on this album. Also, there is "Quintessence," which Woods cut with Quincy Jones, and is such a great big band chart. This is a great performance of it!

So, Dive in to some great modern big band music. It's hard to find modern big band this good...