Chris Walden Big Band: Home of My Heart (2005)

Dan McClenaghan

Senior Contributor since 2002

A lover of sounds, and the way they fit together.

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Published: March 13, 2005

German-born, Los Angeles-based composer/arranger/flugelhornist Chris Walden looks way too young to be this good at a task as daunting as big band writing. He looks almost too young to be sitting in with the band, though he is pushing the ripe old age of forty. But he started early at the art, writing big band arrangements while he was still in high school, and later putting together the charts for the Frankfurt Radio Big Band and the RIAS Big Band. Since his move to Los Angeles, he's written arrangements for Nancy Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Sheryl Crow, and Christopher Cross, and somewhere in there he's scored more than thirty feature and TV movies, including his current work scoring projects for the SciFi Channel (I thought I'd heard some good sounds there). The Chris Walden Big Band is composed of some of L.A.'s finest studio and jazz artists, and with them he's put together a marvelous debut with Home of My Heart.

The disc is very much a traditional big band outing—arrangers like Bob Belden and Don Sebesky come to mind for comparisons—full of interesting song choices. The set opens with the classic "Cherokee," bright and sassy, followed by some cool and subtle harmonies on Christopher Cross's "Rainy Day in Vancouver." Dave Gruisin's "Mullholland Falls," Charlie Haden's "Here's Looking At You," a great jazzed-up version of John Williams' "Star Wars"; and vocalist Tierney Sutton sits in on Gershwin's "How Long has This Been Going On."

And much more. This is 77 minutes of music, consistently fine sounds all the way, with a very cinematic feel. The highlights for me are Walden's own compositions, "Film Noir parts 1-3," and the title tune. Here's hoping for continued success for Walden in his film work, so he can bankroll—nobody makes money at these big band things—a big band disc of all his own material.

Visit Chris Walden on the web.

Track Listing: Cherokee, Rainy Day in Vancouver, Film Noir, pt. 1, Film Noir, pt. 2, Film Noir, pt. 3, Mullholland Falls, Here's Looking At You, Star Wars, Home of My Heart, Feet First, Here's That Rainy Day, How Long Has This Been Going On?, Nonino, You Took Advantage of Me, Stolen Moments, Dr. Stefen Frank

Personnel: Saxophones--Jeff Driskill, Brian Scanlon, Pete Christlieb, Brandon Fields, Bob Shepard, Rick Keller,Tom Peterson; Trumpets--Wayne Bergeron, Roger Ingram, Carl Saunders Kye Palmer, ron King, Kevin Richardson, Bobby Shew; Tombones--Bob mcChesney, Alex IlesBruce Otto, Jacques Voyemant, Arturo Velasco, Bryant Byers, Rich Bullock; Rhythm--guitar: Mitch Holder, Christopher Cross on "Rainy Day in Vancouver"; Piano--Alan Steinberger; bass--Dave Carpenter; drumsPeter Erskine, tony Pia; percussion--M.B. Gordy; accordion on "Nonino"--Frank Morocco

Record Label: Origin Records
Style: Big Band