Jazz Articles about Bruce Eskovitz

Bruce Eskovitz Jazz Orchestra: Invitation

by Donald Elfman
March 9, 2008

Saxophonist/composer Bruce Eskovitz makes music that is playful and appealing yet challenging and thoughtful at the same time. On an earlier recording, he paid tribute to saxophonist Sonny Rollins in a quartet setting, but here he displays his impressive composing and arranging chops in a big band setting. Eskovitz knows about intimacy and so the charts express a closeness often only achieved in smaller settings. The orchestra never sounds dense or thick, and despite the fact that the leader is ...

Bruce Eskovitz Jazz Orchestra: Invitation

by Jerry D'Souza
February 23, 2008

The Bruce Eskovitz Jazz Orchestra returns with its second CD, Invitation, playing music that includes bop, salsa and samba. Much of it sits well within the confines of the orchestra.

Eskovitz wrote all of the compositions except two, which stand out not only for their arrangements, but for the way the soloists keep the groove alive. The first of these is Herb Ellis' “Detour Ahead." Eskovitz's tenor saxophone dips into the melody with becoming warmth, while ...

The Bruce Eskovitz Jazz Orchestra: Regions

by Jack Bowers
September 30, 2004

If Stan Kenton were alive today, he'd no doubt be leading the applause for the Bruce Eskovitz Jazz Orchestra. Kenton was a visionary who not only welcomed new ideas but often introduced them; while others looked to the past for inspiration, he looked to the future for adventure. Although it may seem presumptuous to speak for Kenton, I can't help thinking he'd greatly admire the Eskovitz Orchestra's debut album, Regions, as it further explores the uncommon path blazed by Kenton, ...