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The Bob Mintzer Big Band: Gently
ByThe climate is especially sultry on Mintzer's ballad feature, Johnny Green's 'Body and Soul,' which he calls 'every tenor's measuring stick' (except for Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras, of course), while the reed section (deftly backed by drummer Peter Erskine's improvised counterpoint) is front and center on the gossamer 'Saxophone Quartet #2' (middle movement), written for Miles Osland's talented undergrads at the University of Kentucky. Less heated tempos, however, don't necessarily denote an absence of warmth; Mintzer's concept, gentle as it is, can still stir one's blood, thanks to his seductive charts, shapely solos by such old hands as trumpeter Scott Wendholt and Michael Phillip Mossman, alto saxophonists Pete Yellin and Charles Pillow, soprano Lawrence Feldman, tenor Bob Malach, baritone Roger Rosenberg, trombonists Larry Farrell and Keith O'Quinn, pianist Phil Markowitz and bassist Jay Anderson, and unremitting support from the ever-reliable Erskine. 'Timeless' unveils a bossa-style Brazilian fa'ade, while 'Who's Walkin' Who' (inspired by Mintzer's labrador retrievers, Davis and Yosemity) is a softly ambling blues and 'Bright Lights,' written in '92 for his small group, the Yellowjackets, a funky shuffle that opens calmly and builds to a less-than-muted climax. "This one was hard to play soft,' Mintzer writes, 'but I think we got it.' They did.
'Gently,' inspired by Gil Evans, is an unassuming 4 / 4 swinger (with more perceptive work by Erskine) that uses woodwinds and cup-muted brass to state its theme, Thad Jones' 'Don't Ever Leave Me' a winsome ballad that Mintzer says he's always wanted to record. Gently is a conspicuous change of pace for the usually upbeat Mintzer, but one that underlines his structural resourcefulness and never fails to please. Easily recommended.
Track Listing
Gently; Timeless; Original People; Body and Soul; Who?s Walkin? Who; Don?t Ever Leave Me; Bright Lights; Saxophone Quartet #2 (57:23).
Personnel
Bob Mintzer
saxophoneBob Mintzer, tenor sax, flute, leader; Lawrence Feldman, Charles Pillow, alto sax, flute; Pete Yellin, alto sax; Bob Malach, tenor sax, flute; Roger Rosenberg, baritone sax, clarinet; Bob Millikan, Frank Greene, Michael Phillip Mossman, Scott Wendholt, Jim Seeley, trumpet, flugelhorn; Keith O?Quinn, Michael Davis, Larry Farrell, trombone; David Taylor, bass trombone; John Clark, Fred Griffin, French horn; Phil Markowitz, piano; Jay Anderson, bass; Peter Erskine, drums.
Album information
Title: Gently | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: DMP Records
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