Group Therapy

Jim McNeely | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 13, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: OmniTone
• ASIN: B0000589CP
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,814 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Jim McNeely cut his teeth with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra in the late 1970s, and has been the pianist of choice for any number of big bands since then. Yet Group Therapy, recorded with McNeely's own crack 10-piece unit, suggests that the little big band may be his ideal setting. McNeely gets right down to work with "The Fruit," a deconstruction of Bud Powell's classic that slices and dices the melody into aerated, unpredictable fragments. He pulls off a similar hat trick with "Silent Night," disclosing the tune one phrase at a time and finally re-harmonizing it as a lilting waltz. Even the mother of all standards fails to intimidate this champion arranger: his take on "Body and Soul" boasts a conventional bridge, but the choruses float atop an assortment of vamps and fat chords, marred only by Dick Oatts's slightly epicene soprano. McNeely's own compositions are a little less distinctive. Still, the title cut--in which a somber and memorable theme is repeatedly interrupted by solos, duos, and more than one musical ménage à trois--is a rousing success, as is "A Perfect Six," with particularly snappy contributions from the leader and bassist Cameron Brown. And whichever hat he's wearing, McNeely maintains an agile, helium-light ensemble sound. Yes, there are echoes of Birth of the Cool--thanks in part to the inclusion of Tom Varner's French horn--but Group Therapy is an original creation, without a revivalist bone in its body. --James Marcus

Product Description

2002 Grammy Nominee for "Best Large Ensemble Jazz Album"!

Much awaited debut of Grammy-nominated arranger, composer and pianist Jim McNeely’s "lean and mean" ten-piece band. Top-flight New York musicians from the Vanguard and Carnegie Hall orchestras and cutting edge movers and shakers from the "downtown" creative music scene convene for one helluva Group Therapy session that redefines the standard for larger ensemble writing.

Includes five highly inventive originals plus phenomenal reworkings of the classic "Body and Soul" and Coltrane's "Village Blues" and a stunning reharmonization of "Silent Night." For new music lovers and big band fans!

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun, quirky blend of small group and big band, May 13, 2003

By 

James E. Pendergrass "jedwardp" (Durham, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Group Therapy (Audio CD)

To me, big bands almost always sound a bit stilted or overrehearsed in contrast to small groups, no matter how swinging they might be. Yet, the power of the big band sound still has its appeal to most of us jazz fanatics.

Here, McNeely's ten-piece band gives us the best of both. It's a big band sound in which there's enough solo space and quirky arrangements to give the discerning listener feelings of a smaller, more intimate group.

The highlights are a take of "Silent Night" that's so sly and smooth it'll sneak up on you, leaving you grinning, and a relaxing---but not boring---cover of the classic "Body and Soul."

Even if you don't usually like larger groups, take a chance on this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, March 22, 2011

By 

John Norman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Group Therapy (Audio CD)

Jim McNeely is a compositional and arranging thunderstorm. From transforming standards to utilizing every sound an instrument can produce, he's the jazz equivalent of Ravel while having the out-the-box creativity of Bartok.

All of the players (esp. Scott Robinson and John Hollenbeck) are at the top of their game. This album is a must have for anyone interested in music with incredible depth and attention to detail, not just jazz.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars can't stop listening, February 16, 2001

By 

Kathy Watts (Patterson, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Group Therapy (Audio CD)

can't stop listening to mcneely's music! this cd is so interesting - the performance is so perfect - the writing original. like a fine wine...