Jazz Articles about Bob Mintzer

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The Bob Mintzer Big Band: Homage to Count Basie

by Jack Bowers
January 1, 2001

Anyone who can take my least favorite Basie recording, “April in Paris,” and make it sound as captivating as Bob Mintzer does on Homage to Count Basie (no “one more time!” or “one more once!”) has earned an enthusiastic thumbs–up without taking another step. But the talented tenor overlord doesn’t stop there; he “Mintzerizes” four other tunes associated with the Basie band and blends in three of his own compositions to produce a banquet fit for (the ears of) a ...

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The SWR Big Band Featuring Bob Mintzer: The Music of Duke Ellington and Bob Mintzer

by Jack Bowers
December 1, 2000

To celebrate the centenary of Duke Ellington’s birth, Germany’s SWR Big Band joined forces with American saxophonist / big band leader Bob Mintzer for a May ’99 concert performance in Stuttgart that includes half a dozen compositions by Ellington (or associates) and four others by Mintzer. While considerable resourcefulness is needed to transmute any of these timeworn Ellington–style warhorses into front–runners again, Mintzer and the SWR’s Jörg–Achim Keller, each of whom arranged three of them, manage easily to do so, ...

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John Abercrombie, Peter Erskine, Bob Mintzer, John Patitucci: The Hudson Project

by Jim Santella
May 1, 2000

Recorded live at The Manhattan Center in New York on October 17, 1998 and produced by Rob Walls & Paul Siegel for Hudson Music, Ltd., under exclusive license to Stretch Records, Inc., this innovative quartet comes together with a wallop. Each of the foursome is an experienced leader, and each artist meets the criteria of Chick Corea’s Stretch label. The session is adventuresome, modern, and of high quality.

Each member of the quartet supplied two compositions for this performance. Bob ...

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Steve Kuhn: Seasons of Romance

by Glenn Astarita
March 1, 2000

The great jazz pianist Steve Kuhn tackles well-known standards and not so familiar compositions by performers such as Brazilian guitarist Dori Caymmi, bassist Steve Swallow and a contribution from saxophonist Bob Mintzer on Seasons of Romance.

The opener, saxophonist Bob Mintzer's piece titled, “Six Gun" is an ebullient, mid-tempo swing while Kuhn's easily-recognizable or patented elegance and signature style is notably portrayed from the onset. Kuhn's flair and casual poise ride atop the skillful rhythmic articulations by veteran and highly ...

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Bob Mintzer Quartet: Quality Time

by Jack Bowers
December 1, 1998

As “quality time” is wholly subjective, others may find time spent with saxophonist Bob Mintzer’s quartet(s) far more pleasurable than I. On the one hand, Mintzer is a first–rate player, consistently resourceful and well–respected by his fellow musicians; on the other, he seldom manages to induce even the slightest response from my emotional nerve–center — even though I’ve appreciated some of his big–band endeavors such as Latin from Manhattan, Art of the Big Band and Big Band Trane. Hard to ...

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Various Artists: A Twist of Jobim

by Douglas Payne
May 1, 1997

This appropriately “smooth jazz" tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim is perhaps one of the best that's come out over the last few years. Like many of Jobim's records, it goes down like a smooth, relaxing drink. Producer, arranger and nominal leader guitarist Lee Ritenour has collected some fine talent, particularly frequent collaborator Dave Grusin, and crafted some very nice moments throughout. Highlights include “Water to Drink" (featuring Ritenour and Grusin), “Captain Bacardi" (an old Ritenour / Grusin staple with Eric ...

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Bob Mintzer: Big Band Trane

by Douglas Payne
February 1, 1997

Talented Bob Mintzer, no slouch as a leader, arranger, writer or saxophonist, delivers one disappointing tribute to one of his heroes. The idea is certainly noble -- though it's too easy to compare Mintzer's less favorable work here to Eric Dolphy's `arrangements' during the Africa/Brass sessions. And certainly many lesser Trane tributes exist. But this one seems less from the heart than from the Las Vegas lounge fakebook. Only “My Favorite Things," “A Love Supreme-Acknowledgment" and “Impressions" come from the ...