Home » Jazz Articles » Pete McGuinness
Jazz Articles about Pete McGuinness
Mike Holober and the Gotham Jazz Orchestra: Hiding Out
by Karl Ackermann
Mike Holober's background as a classical pianist and conductor is just one thing that sets Hiding Out apart from the current crop of big band releases. Holober has worked in a variety of settings from solo, duo, and quintet to large ensembles. Two previous recordings with his Gotham Jazz Orchestra were the critically acclaimed Thought Trains (Sons of Sound Records, 2004) and Quake (Sunnyside Records, 2009), comprised of covers and original Holober compositions. On the ambitious double-disc Hiding Out, Holober ...
Continue ReadingThe Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra: Along for the Ride
by Jack Bowers
On the third album as leader of his superlative New York-based Jazz Orchestra, trombonist Pete McGuinness proves again that he is one of the more astute and resourceful composer / arrangers on the scene today. From “Put on a Happy Face" through “One for the Maestro," McGuinness' impressive charts are decorous models of warmth and perception. As a bonus, McGuinness sings (and scats), Chet Baker-style, on Michel Legrand's “You Must Believe in Spring" and Marvin Fisher / Jack Segal's lovely ...
Continue ReadingThe Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra: Strength in Numbers
by Angelo Leonardi
Il jazz orchestrale cresce e si alimenta grazie anche al magistrale influsso esercitato da Bob Brookmeyer su decine di allievi al New England Conservatory. Uno di questi è stato Pete McGuinness, trombonista di lunga esperienza in molte big band (tra cui quelle di Maria Schneider, Jimmy Heath e quella di Woody Herman guidata da Frank Tiberi) e leader di alcuni album con piccoli gruppi. Come spiega nel suo sito web, il sogno segreto di diventare bandleader ...
Continue ReadingThe Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra: Strength in Numbers
by Jack Bowers
For the second album as leader of his jazz orchestra, New York-based Pete McGuinness says he has “returned to [his] roots," fashioning a series of dapper themes that embody his forward-looking point of view while swinging in the grand tradition of such legendary ensembles as Basie, Herman, Thad Jones and others. When someone like Bill Holman says (as he does) “wonderful writing," the tendency is to sit up and take notice. One keynote that's immediately clear is that Holman is, ...
Continue ReadingPete McGuinness: Voice Like A Horn
by C. Michael Bailey
"Did you hear the one about the singing trombonist?." It's not even a joke because there have been many a fine trombonist that also sing, to wit: beginning with the inestimable Jack Teagarden. Then there's Billy Eckstine, Wycliffe Gordon, Henry Darragh, Natalie Cressman, and one Pete McGuinness who releases his third recording as leader, Voice Like A Horn. It is McGuinness' vocal abilities that are showcased on this recording, where the singer is supported by a piano trio augmented with ...
Continue ReadingMike Holober & The Gotham Jazz Orchestra: Quake
by Elliott Simon
Duke Ellington's legacy is alive and well with pianist Mike Holober and The Gotham Jazz Orchestra. Holober makes use of the increased musical scope that 17 pieces give him to weave compositional strength within a sound that sways more than swings. Some of the finest jazzers New York City has to offer join Holober for this session. Their individual talents are certainly showcased but the strength of this release is how Holober fits them all together to ...
Continue ReadingThe Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra: First Flight
by Edward Blanco
As a licensed pilot I have fond memories of the first time I took the controls of an airplane on my solo flight and the proud sense of accomplishment one feels when you've landed alive and relieved. That enormous sense of accomplishment is what I'm sure trombonist Pete McGuinness must have felt when he launched his own big band on its First Flight with an impressive debut recording after twenty years as a sideman, composer and arranger with some of ...
Continue Reading
