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David White Jazz Orchestra: The Chase
ByWhite's grandfather gave him the nickname Mister Shepherd, and the session opens suitably with "Mister Shepherd's Misadventures," a fast-moving theme with virile solos by tenor saxophonist Sam Dillon and trumpeter Miki Hirose. "And the People Could Fly" takes wing behind emphatic statements by pianist Nick Consol and trumpeter Pablo Masis, after which tenor Sam Taylor strides forward to savor "The Sweetest Bite of Cherry," whose appetizing rhythms vary from straight 4/4 to a more laid-back quarter time. "Persistence," the album's most strident theme (in fact, the only one that veers even modestly from harmonious), was inspired, White says, by minimalist composer Steve Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians" (one more than White's orchestra employs). White takes his lone solo there, and it's a good one, deftly complementing forceful testimony by Cavan and alto Andrew Gould who solos in a lighter mood with trombonist Dan Reitz on the funky "Shakedown." Trombonist Rick Parker and alto Omar Daniels are front and center on the seductive finale, "Blues for Sally Draper," named for a character on White's favorite television series, Mad Men.
Musically, one couldn't ask for much more than White and his orchestra deliver. On the other hand, it is hard to endorse without caveat a CD whose playing time is a scant thirty-four minutes, less than half of a disc's storage capacity of eighty minutes (hence the "sizable difference" alluded to earlier). That's a full forty minutes less than White's earlier enterprise, Flashpoint. What we are left with is an otherwise exemplary album that spans only thirty-four minutes, none of which is misspent. If that doesn't bother you, go for it.
Track Listing
Mister Shepherd’s Misadventures; And The People Can Fly; The Sweetest Bite of Cherry; Persistence; The Shakedown; Blues for Sally Draper.
Personnel
David White
composer / conductorDavid White: music director, composer, trombone; Andrew Gould: alto saxophone; Omar Daniels: alto saxophone; Sam Taylor: tenor saxophone; Sam Dillon: tenor saxophone; Tim Stocker: baritone saxophone; Miki Hirose: trumpet; Colin Brigstocke: trumpet; Alicia Rau: trumpet; Pablo Masis: trumpet; Rick Parker: trombone; Dan Reitz: trombone; Aliana Alster: trombone; Rob Stattel: bass trombone; Nick Consol: piano; Phil Rowan: bass; Ryan Cavan: drums.
Album information
Title: The Chase | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Mr Shepherd Records
Comments
About David White
Instrument: Composer / conductor
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