Customer Reviews

Lewis, Mel & The Jazz Orchestra

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Bob Brookmeyer has stated several times that he wrote himself out of the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra - tho Mel himself always loved Bob's work, and considered him a true artist. While with Mel, Brookmeyer was exploring the further reaches of big band expression, without dropping off into total abstraction. Earlier in his career Brookmeyer composed and arranged for Gerry Mulligan's Concert band, and other sundry big band projects. He had studied classical music, and was born in K.C. where he grew up admiring Count Basie. Just prior to becoming Mel Lewis's de facto musical director, he had gone through an intense period of studying 20th Century classical, "music to make your teeth hurt," as he said.

His first compositions for Mel were advanced, but still in a more familiar big band idiom - the music of which is contained on Live At The Village Vanguard, February 1980. This album was recorded live two years later, and just before Brookmeyer wrote himself out of the band, as he says. The music here is far more adventurous, trodding heretofore unexplored avenues of big band jazz. Like Ellington, Brookmeyer began to find a distinctive voice, that blended elements of a classical approach to arranging, yet had a Basie like use of the ensemble in relation to the soloist. Bob wanted to expand on the direction he had gone with Mulligan, making the "solos become the background to the background." He would later add a theatrical component, in which band members spoke dialogue to one another (I would love to hear a recording of that music).

The music here is pushing the envelop, surely, and I find it endlessly fascinating, and completely timeless - it simply doesn't sound like anything else. Brookmeyer would later establish the New Art Orchestra, creating complex and beautiful compositions with a band with a steady personnel, and his musical genius came to a full flowering. He reined in some of his wilder impulses, and became a major influence on the new breed of big band composers, like Maria Schneider and Jim McNeely.

Here, tho, we have Bob at his most searching - not as free jazz - Brookmeyer used dissonance in subservience to the harmonics, and never loses sight of the importance of melody. He also brings surprise with juxtaposition rather than abstraction - juxtaposing the soloist and the ensemble in wild harmonic polarities that still blend in odd and amazing ways. Brookmeyer's explorations are wonderfully bold, yet eminently listenable, and he had accomplished soloists: Joe Lovano, Tom Harrell, Dick Oats, Jim McNeely, and Mel. From here Bob would go on to do his greatest major works, like "Celebration," "Waltzing With Zoe," "Spirit Music," and this is the laboratory where that approach was developed.

There are some classic (if somewhat dated) big band charts featured on this recording. In the early/mid-80s, a number of these tracks were popular charts with college jazz bands. They were exciting and fresh - variety of musical textures, somewhat more contemporary and adventurous harmony, matched with the driving swing of the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.

In particular, check out Brookmeyer's take on Skylark. While this is a standard most everyone is familiar with, Brookmeyer underscores Dick Oatts marvelous alto playing with 20trh century harmony. Charles Ives meets Charlie Parker. Something like that, anyhow.

Other highlights include Ding Dong Ding and El Co (on the version I have), which features excellent soloing by Clark Terry.

While this recording isn't as hard-swinging as some of the other excellent recordings by the Jazz Orchestra (e.g. The Definitive Thad Jones by the Mel Lewis Orchestra), it's well worth a listen if you can get a hold of it.

The previous review referred only to the seller, not the disc. I am generally not into the big band sound but I'll easily make an exception with this disc.Brookmeyer's arrangements and compositions are inspired...from the intro of Ding Dong Ding you will be drawn into the best that big band sound has to offer. Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra shine with great solos by Dick Oatts and Jim McNeely. Oh, to have been at the Vanguard attending these sessions.

I ordered this CD on July 31, 2009 . It is now Sept. 8th. I inquired once on August 16. Aaron from JazzFreddy did answer that one. I wrote again on Sept 1st. Aaron says that it shipped on Aug 4th.

I regularly buy books and CDs from third parties via Amazon. This has never happened before.

Do the math.