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Doug MacDonald: Big Band Extravaganza
by Richard J Salvucci
Some reviewers have been known to complain that contemporary big bands can do most anything but swing. Like all generalizations, there is some merit to the observation. But, like all generalizations, the occasional exception falsifies it. Looking for a big band that pushes all the right buttons? Look no further. Doug MacDonald's “desert jazz" band is an extremely good one. While it might be difficult to make claims about the novelty of what is on offer, the band is tight, ...
Continue ReadingDoug MacDonald: Big Band Extravaganza
by Jack Bowers
Pardon the superlative, but what a terrific album! Extravanga marks the debut of guitarist Doug MacDonald's seventeen-member Jazz Orchestra, and he has guaranteed that it swings with gusto by writing nine perceptive and luminous charts that are sure to bring out the best in any ensemble, especially one as well-equipped as this. During his decades-long career as one of the West Coast's foremost guitarists, MacDonald has recorded fifteen albums with groups ranging from solo to duo, quartet to brass and ...
Continue ReadingSan Gabriel 7: Under The Stars
by Richard J Salvucci
How many times has one heard the saying, “This isn't rocket science"? Well, in this case, it is. One might be tempted to think Jim Lewis' biography is fictional, but no. Lewis is the trombone player and founding member of San Gabriel 7 (SGS). He was a student (and friend) of Bill Watrous, and began life as a sessions player in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, after graduating from the University of Alabama. He moved to LA in ...
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