Jack Cortner New York Big Band: Fast Track

While these and other enterprises definitely put a jingle in his pockets, Cortner's love for jazz never waned, nor did his forty-year friendship with trumpeter Marvin Stamm, for whom he had written a number of arrangements over the years. When Cortner decided to produce a big-band album, Stamm readily agreed to sign on as guest soloist. Had Cortner organized a dragnet and issued an all-points bulletin, he couldn't have made a wiser choice. Even though Stamm is not a household name, and is routinely ignored in the media's "popularity" polls, he is beyond any doubt one of the most talented and resourceful trumpeters on the scene, and has been for years.

Stamm is in splendid form here, ably supported by Cortner's A-list of New York-area musicians and sparkling solos by saxophonist Dave Tofani, trombonist Jim Pugh, pianist Bill Mays and drummer Jim Riley. Cortner's charts are consistently upbeat and pleasurable, including two ("Secret Love," "Lover Man") written especially for Stamm to use in his concerts and as teaching aids. Besides those charmers, they include the standards "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" and "Limehouse Blues," Ferde Grofé's popular "On the Trail" (from the Grand Canyon Suite) and five of Cortner's well-framed original compositions. Stamm wrote the flashy opener, "Who's 'at Talkin.'"

There's not much to censure here. The music is bright and agreeable, the ensemble first- class, recorded sound clean and well-balanced, playing time generous. Above all, Stamm is a model of taste and consistency, a proficient craftsman who always comes to play and makes every note count. His commanding presence is reason enough to endorse Cortner's long-overdue debut.

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