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The Rob McConnell Sextet: Old Friends / New Music
by Pierre Giroux
Rob McConnell was a valve trombonist, arranger, composer and leader of the big band called the Boss Brass, which set a new standard for jazz writing through the use of complex passages and close section harmony, and in 1983 won a Grammy. In this digital-only release by Cornerstone Records, McConnell leads a sextet comprised of Guido Basso on trumpet/flugelhorn, Rick Wilkins on tenor sax, Ed Bickert on guitar, Steve Wallace on bass and Terry Clarke on drums in a session ...
read moreRob McConnell & The Boss Brass: Easy To Love
by Brian Eaton
Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass was perhaps one of the most underrated jazz big bands. This world-class band from Toronto, Canada was led by trombonist, composer, and arranger Rob McConnell and featured top-notch players including altoist Moe Koffman, guitarist Ed Bickert, flugelhornist Guido Basso, and Eugene Amaro on tenor. Released back in 1985 on their album Atras Da Porta (Innovation/LiquidJazz), “Easy To Love" (written by Cole Porter and arranged by McConnell) is a shining example of the brilliance and ...
read moreRob McConnell and the SWR Big Band: So Very Rob
by Jack Bowers
Few big bands anywhere have a more far-reaching or well-deserved reputation for excellence than Germany’s SWR Big Band, which began life in the early ’50s as Erwin Lehn and his Southern Radio Dance Orchestra. When Lehn stepped aside in 1991 after forty years at the helm, the Stuttgart-based band didn’t miss a beat, swinging resiliently onward first as the SDR Big Band and later the SWR. It was in 1992, barely a year after Lehn’s departure, that composer/arranger/bandleader/valve trombonist extraordinaire ...
read moreRob McConnell: Rob McConnell Tentet
by AAJ Staff
After decades of recording on a number of labels, including most recently a long stint with Concord, Rob McConnell is releasing once again another one of his almost-annual CD's. At the start of the millennium, he is recording for the first time on the Canadian label, Justin Time, appropriately enough.Recording Rob McConnell Tentet in Toronto, McConnell still reminds his listeners of the reasons for his groups' distinctiveness: fresh, swinging arrangements that belie the relatively few musicians executing his ...
read moreRob McConnell: Tentet
by Craig Jolley
Rob McConnell has trimmed his 17-piece Boss Brass to a streamlined tentet. Besides the advantage of economics the smaller band lends itself to extended soloing and to a flexible ensemble swing. McConnell's intelligently spaced voicings generally avoid the thin sound that sometimes comes out of cut-down bands. (The missing horns are most noticeable when a section backs a soloist.) Personally I prefer the open sound of the smaller band, notably on a subtly fashioned arrangement such as “Speak Low." A ...
read moreRob McConnell and the Boss Brass: Big Band Christmas
by Jack Bowers
Having recorded two recent theme–oriented albums for Concord Jazz ( Play the Jazz Classics, Even Canadians Get the Blues ) Rob McConnell and his valorous Boss Brass confront the definitive musical “theme” in a Big Band Christmas. The carols and other seasonal offerings, all expertly arranged by McConnell, are wonderfully recited by an ensemble that is known and respected as much for its tastefulness as for its power and precision. As Rob says in the liner notes, “My ...
read moreRob McConnell: Big Band Christmas
by Jim Santella
The clear precise intonation of Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass lends itself to Christmas music. And the swinging, fun-loving arrangements are a natural for any holiday season. Rob McConnell has put them together and the result is one swingin’ good time.Robert Murray Gordon McConnell founded the Boss Brass in 1968 as a working group for his talented arranging skills. Since then he’s released about two dozen albums which feature Toronto’s finest, the leader’s valve trombone melodies, and superb arrangements. ...
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