The Way, Music of Slide Hampton

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 1, 2004)
• Original Release Date: March 1, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Planet Arts Recordings
• ASIN: B0001WW87A
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #292,660 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

THE VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA Founded by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (VJO) maintains the highest artistic integrity and continues in the cutting-edge tradition of founding members.

In addition to maintaining an international touring schedule, the VJO performs as many as 52 Monday nights each year at the Village Vanguard. It commissions new music and maintains a regular recording schedule. It has an education program with university affiliation as well as a worldwide education initiative. In its thirty-eight year history the orchestra has established itself as one of the leading exponents of jazz orchestra music by balancing tradition with innovation.

Since 1995, the VJO has taken the initiative in re-establishing itself as one of the leading jazz orchestras in the world. Through its not-for-profit entity, Sixteen as One Music Inc., the orchestra has been able to secure funds to commission and record new work. Lickety Split - The Music of Jim McNeely was nominated for a GRAMMY and voted one of the top ten jazz CD’s of 1997 by the New York Times. The Thad Jones Legacy, winner of the association for independent music (AFIM) 2000 indie award for best big band jazz recording was voted one of the top ten jazz recordings of 1999 by Gary Giddins. Can I Persuade You received international critical acclaim including 4 ½ stars in Down Beat magazine and a GRAMMY nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Recording.

Product Description

VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA - THE WAY MUSIC OF SLIDE HAMPTON

Seven new compositions and a reworking of a Slide Hampton Classic make this an exciting recording by one of the world’s best big bands.

"In 1978, Jones left for Europe, while Lewis remained leader until his death in 1990. It is a testament to their leadership that the organization continues today, performing under the same high standards. One way to keep the band fresh is to keep its members excited about their repertoire, and by keeping its book stocked with new charts by different arrangers. This album marks Slide Hampton's major contribution to the orchestra." Mitchell Seidel

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent But Not Distinctive, December 14, 2004

By 

John Tapscott (Canada) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Way, Music of Slide Hampton (Audio CD)

I have owned and heard every album/Cd which this band has made since it began in 1966 as the Thad/Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. This latest recording by the VJO is a good outing, but hardly distinctive in the band's long list of generally excellent recordings.

All of the compositions and arrangements are by Slide Hampton, who also solos on trombone on his rearrangement of "Frame for the Blues." Slide's writing for Maynard Ferguson the late 50's and early 60's was truly an outstanding body of work, but to my ear, his work on "The Way" is not quite as distinguished or memorable. Certainly his charts swing well, have many interesting voicings and interweaving lines, and leave lots of room for the band's excellent soloists. (Oatts, Mosca, Perry, Lalama, McNeely, Perry, Wendholt, Smulyan, Bonilla, Jackson, Drewes, and Irwin all get significant and often lengthy solo space).

The album gets off to a strong, swinging start with "You Asked For It." The listener settles back for a big band extravaganza. Yet the rest of the music never really lives up to the promise set by the opener. By the end of the CD (and I've listened to it half-a-dozen times), the tunes seem to have all blurred into one another and it's hard to remember all that much that is striking about the charts or the melodies, either. Hampton seems to use many pastel shades and middle-range voicings in his writing and his rearrangement of "Frame for the Blues" is a good example of that. Rather than the powerful, dynamic character the chart had in Ferguson's band, we get a softer, gentler version, not unattractive, but not nearly as memorable or dramatic, in my view.

The centerpiece of the album is "Suite for Jazz Orchestra" inspired by John Coltrane, and subdivided into tributes to Thad Jones, Billy Strayhorn, Gil Evans, and Tadd Dameron. One often detects the "Giant Steps" changes woven through the suite. The three part flute exchange between Oatts, Perry and Drewes on Strayhorn is an enjoyable surprise and a highlight of the album. Rich Perry and Gary Smulyan have excellent solos in the Dameron section.

Certainly we get a swinging, top-notch performance on this 63 minute CD, but the orchestra is not well-served by the rather flat recording quality, which sets the trumpet section too low in the mix. You never really hear the bite this band's brass section is capable of producing.

Veteran fans of the VJO will want "The Way" and should enjoy it, but if you are not a completist, I would strongly recommend you start with the band's two prior releases, "The Thad Jones Legacy" and especially, the striking "Can I Persuade You?"

Others may hear this CD differently than I do, and I hope they too will review it. Again, let me say that I am a big fan of this band and find much to enjoy about this album. This CD would be a fine recording for many bands, but in my opinion it is a notch below the VJO's best work.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slide Hampton's writing shines, September 9, 2005

By 

Karen K. Bartholomew (Teaneck, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Way, Music of Slide Hampton (Audio CD)

Slide Hampton is as good a composer/arranger as he is a trombone player. This album showcases his prodigious skills in writing for the traditional big band. The variety in textures and counterpoint provide delightful listening surprises.