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James McMillen
Bernie Dresel: The Pugilist
by C. Michael Bailey
Jack Bowers, All About Jazz's large ensemble authority, previously considered this entire recording, The Pugilist, remarking that ..."if swing is your thing, you've come to the right place, as that is what Dresel and his elite group of sun-baked sidemen (and two women) do best and most often." One of the elements that ensures “swing" is the attentive and informed arrangement of these often sprawling pieces. Dr. Jack Cooper is known for his insightful and creative arrangements of percussion-driven music. ...
read moreLA Cowboy: The Big Pitch
by Richard J Salvucci
There is, one supposes, a niche for most everything, although some tastes are surely acquired. Admittedly, a kind of epistolary recording that seems to combine “To Live and Die in LA" with Lady Millea's I Don't Mind Missing You (Reconcile, 2021) is a bit difficult to characterize. Some writers have called this a sort of retro pre-swing recording, lyrics, music and story somehow grounded in the 1920s. That may well be, although the hook is really the chance to hear ...
read moreThe BBB Featuring Bernie Dresel: The Pugilist
by Jack Bowers
No, drummer Bernie Dresel hasn't taken a day gig at the Los Angeles-area Better Business Bureau; the BBB in front of his name stands for Bernie's Big Band or Bernin' Big Band or Bernie's Bernin' Band or something like that. It's really hard to say, as the band's full name isn't spelled out anywhere, even on Dresel's web site or Wikipedia. Be that as it may, the important point to keep in mind is that the BBB comes out swingin' ...
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