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Albert–Hobbs Big Band / Jeff Hamilton–DePaul University Jazz Ensemble / Steve Taylor Big Band

By Jack Bowers
December 11, 2012
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Dave Albert—Brian Hobbs Big Band
Love Remembered
Eidolon Records
2012

What a bold and unusual idea, opening a big-band album with a waltz performed by a trio. The Albert-Hobbs Big Band does exactly that with "For Mr. C," one of several dedications on its debut recording, Love Remembered. Once it becomes clear that the ensemble is missing in action and won't be heard from before Track 2, the change of pace works quite well, as co-leader Brian Hobbs affirms that he's not only a first-rate composer / arranger (he wrote and orchestrated all but one of the album's thirteen numbers) but a resourceful and engaging pianist as well.

As it turns out, using a trio to introduce a big-band album isn't the only aberration that sets the Albert-Hobbs band apart from most others. For one thing, almost all of the musicians (aside from the co-leaders) are Swedish; for another, only three of them (Patrik Skogh, Wojtek Goral, Staffan Finden, respectively) comprise the entire trumpet, saxophone and trombone sections. In other words, the band is "big" thanks to the modern electronic technique known as overdubbing. Pianist Hobbs and drummer Dave Albert, who have been friends since their elementary school days in North Carolina, anchor the rhythm section with bassists Jan Adefelt or Tom Beimel. Three guitarists move in and out, as do three percussionists including two more Hobbs, Jeremy and Adam.

After the opening number, the band gets down to business with Hobbs' perky "Scratch That Itch," dedicated to Josie Lee Rinker (scant information about the dedicatees is given). One of them, the late

Buddy Rich

drums
1917 - 1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Buddy Rich, to whom the irrepressible "Juggernaut" is endorsed, needs no comment, while the playful "Monkeybone" is dedicated by Hobbs "to my boys," presumably Jeremy and Adam. As would be expected, Albert takes an extended, Rich-like solo on "Juggernaut." Hobbs' piano launches the next number, "Count Me In," which carries no dedication but was clearly written with a bandleader named Basie in mind. Albert and Hobbs co-wrote the funky "Ain't Got No Money" (featuring guitarist Andy Pfeiler), which precedes the sensuous samba "Infatuation" (crisp solos by trumpeter Skogh and guest tenor

Glen Ingram

" data-original-title="" title="">Glen Ingram) and a pair of songs that retrace their childhood roots, "Carolina" (on which vocalist Peter Getz is admirable) and "Summertime Down South," which opens as a ballad before yielding to a fast-paced midsection whose hard-edged tenor solo is by Goral, then reverting to its pastoral starting point. The ensemble wraps things up with the swaggering "Too Many Reasons" and sauntering "Take Me in Your Arms," the last smoothly embroidered by Skogh's muted trumpet.

While the particulars of fashioning the album are unknown, the end result is as sharp and seamless as any big-band session you're likely to hear. Albert and Hobbs have engineered (no pun intended) a transatlantic masterpiece, and Love Remembered is tasteful and charming from end to end.

Jeff Hamilton / DePaul University Jazz Ensemble
Time Passes On
Jazzed Media
2012

When it comes to university-level big bands, there aren't many that can keep pace with Chicago's superlative DePaul University Jazz Ensemble. And when it comes to manning a big-band drum kit, there is simply no one around who does that better than the perceptive and versatile

Jeff Hamilton

drums
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeff Hamilton. Put them together, as Jazzed Media has on the new album Time Passes On, and you have a winning combination, one that is a sure bet to please almost any big-band partisan—especially when recorded in concert at Joe Segal's legendary Jazz Showcase, as these sessions were in April 2011.

Hamilton, who is the drummer on the first half-dozen of the album's ten numbers, wrote two of them: the animated "Samba de Martelo" and dreamy ballad "Time Passes On" ("Samba" was arranged by Joseph Clark, "Time" by Cormac McCarthy) and solos adroitly on "Samba," "Days of Wine and Roses,"

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis' propulsive " Serpent's Tooth" and the crowd-pleasing showcase for his remarkable brushwork,

John Clayton

bass
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">John Clayton's playful arrangement of "Back Home Again in Indiana." The DePaul ensemble takes it from there, radiating poise and power on

McCoy Tyner

piano
1938 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">McCoy Tyner's "Happy Days," the Nat Cole evergreen "Nature Boy," music director

Bob Lark

trumpet
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Lark's snappy "Suggestions" and lead trombonist Andy Baker's well-measured "Baby Steps." Lest there be any misgivings about Hamilton's absence, his surrogates—Keith Brooks ("Happy Days," "Suggestions") and Nick Kabat ("Baby Steps," "Nature Boy")—are easily up to the task.

With or without Hamilton on board, the DePaul ensemble boast a number of impressive soloists, starting with trumpeter Marquis Hill and pianist Brad Macdonald on the well-worn opener,

Frank Foster

saxophone
1928 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Foster's "Shiny Stockings," and continuing through alto Billy Wolfe ("Samba de Martelo"), Hill again, this time on flugel ("Time Passes On"), Wolfe again ("Days of Wine and Roses"), Baker and soprano Corbin Andrick ("Serpent's Tooth"), guitarist Kevin Brown and tenor Rocky Yera ("Happy Days"), Macdonald and Baker ("Baby Steps"), Yera and Hill ("Suggestions"). Chuck Parrish (who arranged "Nature Boy" in waltz time) introduces that number on muted trumpet, presaging effective ad libs by vibraphonist Justin Thomas and drummer Kabat. "Indiana," with Hamilton in the driver's seat, is clearly a high spot, as are the buoyant "Samba de Martelo," Wolfe's seductive arrangement of "Wine and Roses,"

Thomas Matta

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Thomas Matta's electrifying version of "Serpent's Tooth" and Lark's charming "Suggestions," smartly arranged by Clark.

As a unit, Lark and the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble have been at the top of their game for nearly two decades, during which time they have recorded with a number of celebrated artists from

Phil Woods

saxophone, alto
1931 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Phil Woods,

Clark Terry

trumpet
1920 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Clark Terry and

Louie Bellson

drums
1924 - 2009

" data-original-title="" title="">Louie Bellson to

Bob Brookmeyer

trombone
1929 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Brookmeyer,

Tom Harrell

trumpet
b.1946

" data-original-title="" title="">Tom Harrell,

Frank Wess

saxophone, tenor
1922 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Wess and

Jim McNeely

composer / conductor
b.1949

" data-original-title="" title="">Jim McNeely. Time Passes On is the latest in an unbroken chain of exemplary albums, made all the more delightful by the imposing presence of the remarkable drummer Jeff Hamilton.

Steve Taylor Big Band eXpLoSiOn
Live in London
i2i Music
2012

To accentuate the positive,

Steve Taylor Big Band

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Taylor Big Band is a first-rate drummer from the Buddy Rich / Louie Bellson school with a London-based big band to match. Having said that, Taylor's debut album, Live in London, while more often than not robust and bracing, is hampered to some extent by the balance problems that plague many a live performance, a burden that is underscored by the intensity of every number in the high-octane concert (an occasional change of pace from frenzied to laid-back would have been welcome). The session suffers as well from occasional "audience participation" in the form of obtrusive chatter, which is especially annoying on

Sammy Nestico

composer / conductor
1924 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Sammy Nestico's "Wind Machine" and

Joe Zawinul

keyboards
1932 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Zawinul's "Birdland." Also, there's no logical reason why the recording engineer should have missed (as he did) the first few notes of "Wind Machine."

Returning to the positive, Taylor shows his mettle throughout, especially while sitting in for Rich (a tough act for anyone to follow) on Bill Reddie's colorful arrangement of the "West Side Story" medley, first performed by Buddy on the album Swingin' New Big Band in 1966. That's one of the highlights, as are "Wind Machine,"

Denis DiBlasio

saxophone, baritone

" data-original-title="" title="">Denis DiBlasio's "Cajun Cooking" and a pair of

Gordon Goodwin

composer / conductor
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Gordon Goodwin originals, "Count Bubba" and "Samba del Gringo." Singer Josie Frater's voice is heard on "Gringo," as it is on "Ode to Billie Joe" and Mike Tomaro's "Conspiracy Theory," but she "sings" (lyrics) only on "Apron Strings,"

Bob Mintzer

saxophone
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Mintzer's "TV Blues" and the standard "Too Close for Comfort" (on which staying on key presents a challenge, one she struggles to manage). "TV Blues" seems to be an "encore" spliced in to follow the more customary finale, "West Side Story," after which Taylor and the band say their goodbyes (or it may have been recorded earlier in the program and saved for last). Alas, the song's clever lyrics are rendered almost unintelligible by the recording flaws and noise level.

As it true of most big bands, Taylor has a number of respectable soloists, starting with tenor saxophonist Richard Sheppard on "Conspiracy Theory" and "Wind Machine" and including reedmen Vasilis Xenopoulos, Dan Faulkner and Lucas Dodd; trumpeters

Tom Walsh

trumpet
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Tom Walsh and Ed Benstead, trombonist Ben Greenslade-Stanton, pianist Jamie Salisbury and bassist Rob Statham. Taylor's solos, on "Sambe del Gringo," "Cajun Cooking," "Ode to Billie Jo" and "West Side Story," are clean and assertive, and he drives the ensemble with power to spare. In sum, a dandy concert with ample exuberance that might have been even more impressive in a studio.

Dave Rivello Ensemble
Facing the Mirror
Allora Records
2012

Among the composers and arrangers with whom Dave Rivello has interacted, the late

Bob Brookmeyer

trombone
1929 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Brookmeyer (it seems strange to be writing that), who wrote the liner notes for Rivello's debut album, Facing the Mirror, was in many ways the most influential. Their association began in 1996 when Rivello started copying music for Brookmeyer; later, he became Brookmeyer's student, following in the footsteps of

Maria Schneider

composer / conductor

" data-original-title="" title="">Maria Schneider, Jim McNeely and others. To weigh that influence, simply listen to the opening number, "One by One by One," which could have been written by Brookmeyer himself. Much the same is true throughout the album, as Rivello, who now teaches at his alma mater, the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, applies the lessons learned from his friend and mentor to produce a series of compositions and arrangements that exemplify the sort of dexterity and care that Brookmeyer always bestowed on the music he loved.

To perform his music, Rivello has enlisted a dozen blue-chip sidemen from the Rochester area (perhaps including some of his colleagues at the Eastman school) who have no problem making it sound bright and agreeable. Even though Rivello is his own man, echoes of the Brookmeyer approach to big-band writing can be heard on every track, and that's a good thing. Rivello learned his lessons well, and has produced an album that voices his own perspective as it pays tribute to a greatly admired teacher. Also present, albeit less conspicuous, are techniques learned by Rivello from other esteemed maestros including McNeely,

Bill Holman

composer / conductor
- 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Holman,

Manny Albam

arranger
1922 - 2001

" data-original-title="" title="">Manny Albam,

Kenny Wheeler

flugelhorn
1930 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Wheeler,

Bob Belden

arranger
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Belden and

Thad Jones

trumpet
1923 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Thad Jones, among others. Rivello has taken the best that each of them has to offer and blended it to shape his own singular voice.

That is nowhere more apparent than on the closing "Chorale," a through-composed piece whose emotive passages for reeds and brass induce a tangible mood of serenity and reverence. Before that, Rivello displays a Brookmeyer-like penchant for nebulous yet somehow descriptive names: "(Of) Time and Time Past," "Stealing Space," "Dancing in Circles," "Sometime," "Beyond the Fall," "The Path of Innocence." Each one is well-written, ably performed by the ensemble, and embodies solos that may not be memorable but are always in keeping with the nature and purpose of the theme at hand. Trumpeter

Eli Asher

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Eli Asher and pianist

Red Wierenga

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Red Wierenga share the spotlight on "One by One by One," followed by trumpeter

Mike Kaupa

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Kaupa ("Time and Time Past"), tenor Jose Encarnacion ("Stealing Space"), bassist

Malcolm Kirby Jr.

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Malcolm Kirby Jr. and drummer

Ted Poor

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Ted Poor ("Dancing in Circles"), Kaupa again ("Sometime"), Poor and soprano

Matt Pivec

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Pivec ("Beyond the Fall"), Wierenga and Encarnacion ("The Path of Innocence").

This is contemporary jazz, grounded in melody, harmony and rhythm but devoid of tunes that are likely to be hummed (or even entirely remembered) once the album has been heard (those who've listened to Brookmeyer, Schneider and the others alluded to will know pretty much what to expect). The swing quotient is low, the cerebral quotient high. If Brookmeyer is your standard, Rivello's the new flag-bearer; if, on the other hand, Basie's your bag, look elsewhere.

Dave Chisholm
Radioactive
Self Published
2012

Radioactive enfolds remarkably ambitious and rewarding contemporary music from a group of relative unknowns based in Salt Lake City, UT, who are led by composer / arranger / trumpeter

Dave Chisholm

trumpet
b.1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Chisholm. While comparisons to other progressive artists such as Maria Schneider,

Darcy James Argue

composer / conductor
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Darcy James Argue,

Carla Bley

piano
1938 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Carla Bley,

Julius Hemphill

saxophone, alto
1938 - 1995

" data-original-title="" title="">Julius Hemphill and others are relevant, Chisholm's compositions are generally more compliant and educe a moderately stronger pulse. This is especially true of the songs that bookend the album, "Radioactive" and "In the Belly of the Sun," which are not only pleasing to the ear but even abide at times on the perimeter of customary big-band swinging.

Much of the music, however, is earnest and even-tempered, which is not meant to imply that it is less than charming. Chisholm uses tone, color and dynamics to bring out the best in the ensemble, while soloists embody well the music's ruminative nature. The leader's brother, trombonist Joe Chisholm, is showcased on "Behind the Mask," clarinetist Andrew Kuhnhausen on "The Jiggler." Dave Chisholm, meanwhile, solos splendidly on trumpet (with the first-rate tenor saxophonist David Halliday) on "Radioactive" and "Belly of the Sun," and on flugel (with brother Joe and pianist Derek Howa) on "Montana."

Chisholm, by the way, easily qualifies as a young lion; as recently as 2009 he earned a Down Beat magazine Student Music Award as outstanding collegiate soloist, and is now pursuing an advanced degree in music at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Besides leading his own band, Chisholm has performed on five albums by the Salt Lake Alternative Jazz Orchestra. Word is that he has recorded a second album, Calligraphy. Young as he is, with Radioactive Chisholm has moved comfortably into the role of leader.

Tracks and Personnel

Love Remembered

Tracks: For Mr. C (Scott C. Calloway); Scratch That Itch (for Josie Lee Rinker); Querida; Monkeybone; Love Remembered; Juggernaut (for Dave Albert in Memory of Buddy Rich); Count Me In; Ain't Got No Money (for Donald McCoy); Infatuation; Carolina; Summertime Down South (for Jean & Charlie Hobbs); Too Many Reasons; Take Me in Your Arms.

Personnel: Dave Albert: co-leader, drums; Brian Hobbs: co-leader, keyboards; Patrik Skogh: trumpets, flugelhorns; Wojtek Goral: saxophones, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet; Staffan Finden: trombones; Mikael Berg Andersson: guitar (6, 7, 10, 12, 13); Andy Pfeiler: guitar (8); Mikko Paavala: guitar (3); Jan Adefelt: acoustic bass; Tom Beimel: electric bass; Christer Jansson: percussion (4, 5, 9); Jeremy Hobbs: percussion (6); Acam Hobbs: percussion (6); Glen Ingram: tenor sax solo (9); Peter Getz: vocals.

Time Passes On

Tracks: Shiny Stockings; Samba de Martelo; Time Passes On; Days of Wine and Roses; The Serpent's Tooth; Indiana; Happy Days; Baby Steps; Suggestions; Nature Boy.

Personnel: Bob Lark: director; Chuck Parrish: trumpet, flugelhorn; Tim Bales: trumpet, flugelhorn; Marquis Hill: trumpet, flugelhorn; Paul Dietrich: trumpet, flugelhorn; Kazumasa Terashima: trumpet, flugelhorn; Corbin Andrick: alto, soprano sax, flute; Billy Wolfe: alto sax, flute; Rocky Yera: tenor sax, clarinet; Will Brocker: tenor sax, clarinet; Mark Hiebert: baritone sax, bass clarinet; Andy Baker: trombone; Andrew Thompson: trombone; Andrew Johnston: trombone; Jeff Livorsi: bass trombone; Justin Thomas: vibraphone; Brad Macdonald: piano; Kevin Brown: guitar; Dan Parker: bass; Keith Brooks: drums (7, 9); Nick Kabat: drums (8, 10). Special guest artist—Jeff Hamilton: composer (2, 3), drums (1-6).

Live in London

Tracks: Conspiracy Theory; Wind Machine; Party Time; Samba del Gringo; Cajun Cooking; Apron Strings; Count Bubba; The Chicken; Ode to Billie Jo; Too Close for Comfort; Birdland; West Side Story medley; TV Blues.

Personnel: Steve Taylor: leader, drums; Ed Benstead: trumpet (2, 5, 8, 9, 11-13); Tom Walsh: trumpet (1, 3, 4, 7); Pete Horsful: trumpet (1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 12, 13); Andy Gray: trumpet (1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 11-13); J.P. Gervasoni: trumpet (2, 8, 9, 11-13); George Hogg: trumpet (10); Reuben Fowler: trumpet (10); Dave Wood: trumpet (5); Martin Grisdale: trumpet (5); Rob Sell: alto sax (1, 3, 4, 5, 7); Richard Sheppard: alto sax, tenor sax; Lucas Dodd: alto sax; Vasilis Xenopoulos: tenor sax, soprano sax (3, 5, 10); Dan Faulkner: tenor, soprano sax; Tom Leaper: tenor sax (1, 4, 6); Mike Ruble: baritone sax (2, 3, 5, 7-13); Tom Andrews: baritone sax (1, 4, 6); Ben Greenslade-Stanton: trombone; Chris Fry: trombone (2, 8, 9, 11-13); Pat Johns: trombone (5); Sam Crooks: trombone (1, 4, 6); Nathan Gash: trombone; Jamie Salisbury: piano (2, 8, 9, 11, 13); Hilary Cameron: piano (1, 3-7, 10); Rob Statham: bass; James Eager: bass (3, 7); Dan Farrant: bass (5); Josie Frater: vocals, percussion.

Facing the Mirror

Tracks: One by One by One; (of) Time and Time Past; Stealing Space; Dancing in Circles; Sometime; Beyond the Fall; The Path of Innocence; Chorale.

Personnel: Dave Rivello: composer, arranger, conductor; Brian Shaw: trumpet; Mike Kaupa: trumpet, flugelhorn; Eli Asher: trumpet, flugelhorn; Matt Pivec: soprano sax, flute; Jose Encarnacion: tenor sax, flute, clarinet; Dean Keller: clarinet, bass clarinet; Phil Ostrander: trombone; Dan Pierce: trombone; Jeff Meyer: tuba; Red Wierenga: piano; Malcolm Kirby: bass; Ted Poor: drums, percussion.

Radioactive

Tracks: Radioactive; Behind the Mask; The Jiggler; Montana; In the Belly of the Sun.

Personnel: Dave Chisholm: leader, composer, arranger, trumpet, flugelhorn; Reed Lecheminant: trumpet, flugelhorn; Ryan Hunter: trumpet, flugelhorn; Andrew Kuhnhausen: alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet; Adam Leishman: bass clarinet, flute; Lance Major: alto sax, clarinet; David Halliday: tenor sax, flute; Joe Rudd: tenor sax, flute; Clint Roberts: flute; Marco Blackmore: baritone sax; Joe Chisholm: trombone; Ryan Shepherd: trombone; Donn Schaefer: trombone, bass trombone; Derek Howa: piano; David Salmon: guitar; Denson Angulo: bass; Steve Lyman: drums.

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