Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Westchester Jazz Orchestra: All In

Westchester Jazz Orchestra: All In

By Dr. Judith Schlesinger
October 12, 2007
View read count

All In is a crackling-good big band CD. It's the recording debut of the seventeen-piece Westchester Jazz Orchestra (WJO), which was founded in 2003, and it's a corker. [Note for non-locals: an easy commute to the clubs, stages and studios of New York City, Westchester (County) is home to a growing number of eminent jazz folk, like many in the WJO.]

The band is first-rate, the solos world-class, the arrangements fresh and imaginative. Special favorites include a driving, percussive take on Joe Henderson's "Caribbean Fire Dance and the marvelously witty "(No Longer) in the Mood, a sour answer to the old familiar smoothie. Then there's the luscious version of "Naima and a reverent "Peace, with its heart-lifting solo by trumpeter Marvin Stamm. After delightful interpretations of Horace Silver, Wayne Shorter, and Bill Evans, the session ends with Mike Holober's intricate re-imagining of The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun.

This group is so exceptional that it's beginning to reverse the usual commute: instead of suburbanites trekking southward to seek jazz in the Apple, urbanites are venturing north to hear the WJO. For those who are neither, this sparkling CD will show what all the fuss is about.

Track Listing

Caribbean Fire Dance, (No Longer) in the Mood, Peace, Ping Pong, Naima, Room 608, Turn out the Stars, Here Comes the Sun.

Personnel

Jan Brandford: alto and soprano saxophones, flute; David Brandom: also and soprano saxophones, clarinet, flute; Mike Migliore: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Jason Rigby: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Ed Xiques: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Craig Johnson: trumpet and flugelhorn, solos (3, 4, 7); Tony Kadleck: trumpet and flugelhorn, solos (1, 2, 5, 8); Jim Rotondi: trumpet and flugelhorn; Marvin Stamm: trumpet and flugelhorn, solo (6); Larry Dean Farrell: trombone; George Flynn (bass trombone); Keith O

Album information

Title: All In | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: WJO

About Westchester Jazz Orchestra

Tags

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Become a Sustaining Member

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.