Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Nova Jazz Orchestra: In a Lucid Moment

179

Nova Jazz Orchestra: In a Lucid Moment

By

View read count
Nova Jazz Orchestra: In a Lucid Moment
This is the fifth album by the Nova Jazz Orchestra, at least three of which have been recorded live at O'Gara's nightclub in St. Paul, Minnesota. If anyone doubts that this one is live, he or she need only listen to Ted Godbout's wimpy piano. Not a knock on Godbout, of course, but in-studio pianos are, generally speaking, more (pardon the pun) upright. Everyone else sounds respectable, especially for an in-concert performance, and the audience is uncommonly well-behaved and unobtrusive.

Nova decided to record its sessions at O'Gara's from February to April of '06, and the group must have been in exemplary form on April 25, as every number on the album, we're informed, was taken from that concert. Nine selections were written by members of the orchestra, the others by close friends Dan Cavanaugh ("Split Rock ) and Sue Leigh ("The Quiet One ). And there are no excuses, as after a three-month warmup, Nova presumably couldn't play them any better than this.

As it turns out, no excuses are needed. Even though the balance isn't always sharp, the orchestra hangs together well, with no evident lapses in solidarity or awareness, while the various soloists (including Godbout), if not awe-inspiring, are nonetheless capable and earnest. There are cordial showpieces for flugel John Ahern (his "Swekamambossanova ), tenor Paul Peterson (his "While You Were Out ) and soprano Bob Byers ("The Quiet One ), and space elsewhere for that trio, Godbout, trumpeter Todd Matheson, tenor Bill Burton, trombonists Larry McCabe and Michael Burton, bass trombonist John Tranter, baritone Mike Krikava and drummer Dave Perry to have their say.

Whoever wrote the notes wasn't overly detail-oriented, as the soloists on "Lucid Moment (written by Byers and based on Burton Lane/Alan Jay Lerner's "On a Clear Day ) are listed as Byers, Perry and Matheson, whereas the only solos are by Byers and Godbout. Also, it's curious that there's no audience reaction or applause after Godbout's shuffling "Arcturis, although the orchestra—and especially his piano—sound as "live as elsewhere.

And when's the last time you came across an album dedicated to a lead trumpeter? Lucid Moment bows deeply to Ahern, the orchestra's "lead trumpeter, composer, arranger, recording guru and number one Nova guy. That's gotta help heal those aching chops. It's a well-deserved accolade for supervising another admirable enterprise by the well-rounded Nova Jazz Orchestra.

Track Listing

In a Lucid Moment; JT; Edge; Un Otro Mundo; Swekamambossanova; While You Were Out; Split Rock; The Quiet One; Scurry On; Arcturis; A Fine Day for It (69:16).

Personnel

Nova
 

John Ahern: trumpet, flugelhorn; Tim Martin, Todd Matheson, Andrew Shellenbarger, Dan Frankowski (5): trumpet; Bob Byers: alto, soprano sax, flute; Scott Johnson: alto sax, flute; Bill Burton: tenor, soprano sax, flute; Paul Peterson: tenor sax, flute; Mike Krikava: baritone sax; Mike Larson, Michael Burton, Larry McCabe: trombone; Craig Lawless (1-3,5,8,9), John Tranter (2,4,6,7,10,11): bass trombone; Ted Godbout: piano; Pete Karstad: bass; Dave Perry: drums.

Album information

Title: In a Lucid Moment | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: NJO

Tags

Comments

About Nova

Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar

PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.