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New Standard Jazz Orchestra: Waltz About Nothing

By Jack Bowers
July 3, 2016
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New Standard Jazz Orchestra: Waltz About Nothing

Any orchestra that professes to establish a new standard had better be able to back that up. Happily for the listener, on its debut recording, Waltz About Nothing, Chicago's New Standard Jazz Orchestra can—and does. In a little more than two years, the NSJO has arisen as a worthy successor to one of the more exemplary ensembles ever to grace the Windy City, trumpeter

Rob Parton

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Rob Parton's JazzTech Big Band. The equivalence seems predestined when one notes that no less than nine members of the NSJO—including co-leaders

Ken Partyka

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Ken Partyka and

Andy Baker

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Andy Baker —are former members of Parton's cutting-edge ensemble.

Seven of the album's eleven numbers were written by NSJO members, and they are admirable in every respect, as are the others—Ellington / Strayhorn's "Star Crossed Lovers," Mike Plog's "Bu's Groove,"

Burt Bacharach

composer / conductor
1928 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Burt Bacharach's "Close to You" (arranged by

Chris Madsen

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Chris Madsen) and

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis' "Milestones" (by

Tom Garling

" data-original-title="" title="">Tom Garling). Baker composed the seductive "Waltz About Nothing" and "Samba for Someone," Garling "Metamorphosis," "This One's for Sturm" and "Sedentary Motion." Alto Madsen is showcased on his composition "Spring and Fall," tenor

John Wojciechowski

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">John Wojciechowski on his "Lexicon," fellow tenor

Mark Colby

saxophone
1949 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Colby on "Sturm." Partyka solos on "Samba for Someone" and "Sedentary Motion," Baker on "Samba" and "Waltz." Mention should also be made of

Tom Matta

" data-original-title="" title="">Tom Matta's splendid charts, "Star Crossed Lovers" and "Bu's Groove" (on which trumpeter

Marquis Hill

trumpet
b.1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Marquis Hill and pianist Dan Murphy shine).

Other world-class improvisers who live up to the name are trombonists Garling and

Tim Coffman

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Tim Coffman, baritone Mark Hiebert and trumpeter

BJ Cord

" data-original-title="" title="">BJ Cord. Murphy, bassist

Tim Fox

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Tim Fox and drummer

Todd Howell

drums
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Todd Howell comprise the orchestra's hard-working rhythm section. Brass and reeds are sharp, assertive and tight as a drum, all the more impressive as Waltz About Nothing was recorded in a studio, without headphones or electronic enhancement, in a single day. As big bands continue to fade into the woodwork, it is comforting to know that Chicago remains home to one of the best, a forward-looking orchestra that gives rise to a new standard for those who follow.

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Track Listing

Metamorphosis; Spring and Fall; Waltz About Nothing; This One��s for Sturm; Star Crossed Lovers; Samba for Someone; Lexicon; Bu��s Groove; Close to You; Sedentary Motion; Milestones.

Personnel

Ken Partyka

saxophone

Ken Partyka: alto, soprano sax, flute, co-leader; Andy Baker: trombone, co-leader; Roger Ingram: trumpet; Chuck Parrish: trumpet; B.J. Cord: trumpet; Marquis Hill: trumpet; Chris Madsen: alto sax, flute; Mark Colby: tenor sax, clarinet; John Wojciechowski: tenor sax, clarinet; Mark Hiebert: baritone sax, bass clarinet; Steve Leinheiser: additional woodwinds; Tom Garling: trombone; Tim Coffman: trombone; John Blake: bass trombone; Dan Murphy: piano; Tim Fox: bass; Todd Howell: drums.

Album information

Title: Waltz About Nothing | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: OA2 Records

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