Chuck Owen and the WDR Big Band: Renderings

Anyone who uses YouTube to search for contemporary jazz must surely be familiar with Germany's blue-ribbon WDR Big Band, as it is abundantly represented at the site. Bearing that in mind, it may come as no surprise to those seekers (and others) that the WDR's latest recording, on which it is paired with the esteemed Florida-based composer and arranger Chuck Owen, offers another master class in big-band artistry, or how to make even the most arduous charts seem deceptively simple.

Owen, who leads his own Grammy-nominated ensemble, the Jazz Surge, arranged every number including three of his engaging compositions ("Knife's Edge," ..."And Your Point Is?" and "A Ridge Away") and three more by members of the band (saxophonist Karolina Strassmayer's even-tempered "Of Mystery and Beauty," bassist John Goldsby's hibernal "Fall Calls," saxophonist Johan Horlen's smooth-riding "Canoe"). Completing the seductive program are Chick Corea's esoteric "Arabian Nights" and the durable standard "This Love of Mine," made popular in the 1940s by a young Frank Sinatra. If there is a downside, it lies in the fact that most numbers are generally more easygoing than aggressive.

"Knife's Edge," the only song written especially for the album, is an exception, sprinting eagerly forward while testing the band's mettle via several of Owen's typically sharp and challenging ensemble passages. The WDR has no trouble braving the gauntlet, nor do the able soloists: tenor saxophonist Paul Heller, trumpeter Andy Haderer and drummer Hans Dekker who (with Goldsby) provides rhythmic stability on every number. The pace slows to a brisk fox trot on... "And Your Point Is?" originally written for Owen's sextet. Nice work here by Dekker, whose robust snares and tom-toms underline earnest solos by trombonist Andy Hunter, tenor saxophonist Gabor Bolla, organist Billy Test and tuba-ist Mattis Cederberg.

Strassmayer's ethereal theme, on which she solos with Goldsby and guest violinist Sara Caswell, is equal parts mystery and beauty, while "This Love of Mine," which follows, is a classic ballad whose soloists are Test (on piano), Heller and trumpeter Ruud Breuls. Once again, a gorgeous arrangement by Owen who does the same for "Fall Calls," an inherently slow-paced tone poem whose colors are radiant and whose solos (by Strassmayer, Hunter and guitarist Philipp Brämswig) embrace the casual ambiance. Caswell returns with Bramswig and Horlen (alto) on the enigmatic "Arabian Nights," which leads to another slow-cooker, "A Ridge Away" (Breuls, trumpet; Test, piano) and the tasteful finale, "Canoe," on which Horlen solos on alto alongside trombonist Ludwig Nuss.

As always, Owen's arrangements are exemplary, the WDR impeccable. In sum, an excellent showcase for the author and orchestra that could have been even more impressive given an extra shot or two of adrenaline.

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