Jazz Articles about Donald Walden

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Donald Walden and the Detroit Jazz Orchestra: Focus

by Jack Bowers
October 24, 2004

Before appraising the music on saxophonist Donald Walden's new album, Focus, we should first consider the “truth in advertising" issue. Webster's defines an orchestra as “a group of instrumentalists including especially string players [emphasis mine] organized to perform ensemble music." Walden's “orchestra" has no strings attached, and in fact is actually an octet. That's correct, a leader and seven sidemen “organized to perform ensemble music." So caveat emptor. (In other words, don't be misled by the label; an orchestra it ...