Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Gil Evans Orchestra: Hidden Treasures - Monday Night...

The Gil Evans Orchestra: Hidden Treasures - Monday Night Sessions, vol 1

By Jack Bowers
December 26, 2018
View read count

The Gil Evans Orchestra: Hidden Treasures - Monday Night Sessions, vol 1

Even though the name

Gil Evans

composer / conductor
1912 - 1988

" data-original-title="" title="">Gil Evans has a hallowed ring these days, the late composer / arranger's music remains for many aficionados an acquired taste. On the other hand, while that is the Gil Evans Orchestra performing on Hidden Treasures, Volume 1, the lion's share of the music brought to light isn't his—Evans wrote only two of the album's seven selections ("Moonstruck," "Eleven") and arranged only three. And although the recording was completed some thirty years after Evans' death, its subtitle, Monday Night Sessions, calls to mind the orchestra's well-received weekly concerts back in the day at the Greenwich Village nightspot, Sweet Basil.

While there's no doubt that this orchestra of New York-based stalwarts is gifted with ample power and precision (

John Clark

french horn
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">John Clark's dynamic "Groove from the Louvre" provides clear enough evidence), is that enough to carry the day? The answer depends in large measure on the listener's frame of mind and point of view. To put it another way, Hidden Treasures is by no means an easy listen. Viable chordal and harmonic disputations abound, from Pete Levin's steely, serpentine curtain-raiser, "Subway," through Evans' hard-charging finale, "Eleven." Even though the ensemble manages not only to evade those stumbling blocks but makes them work to its advantage, not everyone may understand or appreciate the album's over-all purpose, which is clearly to entertain as it enkindles the mind.

Trumpeter

Miles Evans

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Evans' "LL Funk" is well-named, shuffling earnestly forward to the unvarying beat of timekeeper

Kenwood Dennard

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenwood Dennard before the orchestra settles into a more understated groove on "I Surrender," co-written by pianist Delmar Brown (who passed away in 2017) and performed as an homage to his memory. Brown does appear on "Subway," "LL Funk" and

Masabumi Kikuchi

piano
1939 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Masabumi Kikuchi's powerful "Lunar Eclipse," which were recorded before his passing. Clark's French horn introduces "Groove from the Louvre," on which Dennard shines again with help from percussionist

Mino Cinelu

percussion
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Mino Cinelu and trumpeters

Shunzo Ohno

trumpet
b.1949

" data-original-title="" title="">Shunzo Ohno and

Alex Sipiagin

trumpet
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Alex Sipiagin. Evans' "Moonstruck," which follows "Eclipse" (can't affirm that it was planned that way), is a concise, even-tempered showcase for the ensemble, whereas "Eleven" finds everyone swinging hard behind forceful statements from alto

Chris Hunter

flute
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Chris Hunter, tenor

Alex Foster

saxophone
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Alex Foster and

Charles Blenzig

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Blenzig on electric piano. Soloists aren't listed on the album but are named in an accompanying press release. Besides those already mentioned, they include Foster and trombonist

Dave Bargeron

trombone
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Bargeron ("Subway"), keyboardist

Paul Shaffer

keyboards

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Shaffer, bassist

Matthew Garrison

bass, electric
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Matthew Garrison, guitarist Vernon Reid and alto

David Mann

woodwinds

" data-original-title="" title="">David Mann ("LL Funk"), Foster again ("I Surrender), bass trombonist

Dave Taylor

trombone, bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Taylor ("Groove from the Louvre") and pianist

Gil Goldstein

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Gil Goldstein ("Lunar Eclipse").

Even without Evans' guidance, the orchestra exemplifies his singular temperament and style. That should make Hidden Treasures a gem of an album for those who number Gil Evans among the peerless sovereigns of big-band composing and arranging.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Subway; LL Funk; I Surrender; Groove From The Louvre; Lunar Eclipse; Moonstruck; Eleven.

Personnel

Gil Evans Orchestra

band / ensemble / orchestra

Miles Evans, Shunzo Ohno: trumpet; Alex Sipiagin: trumpet (3, 4, 7); Jon Faddis: trumpet (1, 5, 6); Dave Bargeron: trombone (1, 5, 6), Birch Johnson: trombone (3, 4, 7); David Taylor: bass trombone; John Clark: french horn; Chris Hunter: alto sax, flute; David Mann: alto sax (2); Alex Foster: tenor sax, soprano sax; Gary Smulyan: baritone sax (1, 5, 6); Alden Banta: baritone sax (3, 4, 7); Gil Goldstein: piano (1, 2, 5, 6); Pete Levin: keyboards; Paul Shaffer: fender rhodes (2); Delmar Brown: synthesizer (1, 2, 5); Charles Blenzig: synthesizer (2-4, 7); Vernon Reid: guitar (2); Gabby Abularach: guitars (1, 4, 5); Mark Egan: bass; Darryl Jones: bass (tune 2); Matthew Garrison: bass & bass solo (2); Kenwood Dennard: drums; Mino Cinelu: percussion.

Album information

Title: Hidden Treasures - Monday Night Sessions, vol 1 | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: PledgeMusic

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Charles Lloyd & The Marvels with Luc...
< Previous

Tim Motzer: Late-Night Soundscapes
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.