Customer Reviews

Lost Bill Holman Charts

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
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What a find, the "Lost Bill Holman Charts". Over the last ten years, I have concluded that Bill Holman is my favorite composer and arranger. He turned 80 earlier this year and is writing the best music of his life.This CD did nothing to alter my lofty opinion of either Mr.Holman or his music.

Carl Saunders, the extremely gifted West Coast trumpeter, Kenton alumnus,

and integral member of both Bill Holman and Bob Florence big bands, found these charts that were written in septet form for a somewhat obscure texas tenor player back in the early 1980's.

Carl's wise choice of sidemen include Pete Christlieb on tenor, Andy Martin on trombone, Bob Efford on Baritone, Christian Jacob on piano, Kevin Axt bass and Santo Savino on drums.

Five of the eleven tunes are Holman rearrangements of jazz standards or well known Ellington tunes such as "All Too Soon". They all get extremely interesting treatments in typical Holman fashion.

The original Holman tunes are what I live for. Especially"Mahogany Run", "Hannibal", and "Scratch". The head on "Scratch" is predominately trumpet, Bass and Baritone. The sound is much like Thad Jones and Pepper Adams's"Mean What You Say". Great sound, either trumpet and bari, or bone and bari. Bob Efford, I must admit, grows on you. In addition to being a great bari and bass clarinet player, his Baritone sound can have a soft edge to it like Gerry Mulligan, but he can back it up the power of a Pepper Adams on demand.

If you like music that is thought provoking, stretches your harmonic and rhythmic senses to their limits, sometimes playing several themes simultaneously, then I think you will enjoy this CD. I certainly have been.

Peter deGroff

November 3, 2007

carl saunders and his friends plays the ... of these bill holman charts + fantastic soloing from evrybody. this is a fantstic record

I love all of Bill Holman's big band music. I was worried that this woould not have the "punch" of his other works. Boy, was I wrong.

Carl, Andy & Pete show that they sould not be forgotten by the East Coast writers.

Buy it. You will not be sorry.

J. Hubler

Carl Saunders trumpet and/or flugle horn playing never disappoints. And Bill Holman arrangements are always enjoyable. Put together a world class trumpeter with a world class arranger and you have potential for a great mix. The fact that the arrangements were more than two decades old just added to the excitement. Saunders and Holman fans will find the recording of interest.