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Extended Analysis

Beats and Pieces Big Band: All In

by Phil Barnes
July 1, 2015

The idea of the gang is well established in rock bands--think of the wonderful Astrid Kirchherr photos of the Beatles in their Hamburg-era leathers, the Specials glowering from the cover of their classic debut LP or the Clash in pretty much any picture ever taken of them. Rock bands often foster this “us v's them" mentality as a shorthand for identification with their audience or a set of beliefs, but it is a position that only translates imperfectly into jazz ...

Album Review

Beats & Pieces Big Band: All In

by Bruce Lindsay
June 15, 2015

While almost every sensible thought screams “Don't Do It!" for good economic and logistical reasons, there are still plenty of jazz musicians for whom the big band is an ideal--and an attainable one at that. Manchester's Beats & Pieces Big Band is a fine example--the name may or may not be a nod to Manchester's '60s popsters the Dave Clark Five, but the music is firmly descended from the big bands that came before. A large ensemble that's been together ...