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Ed Vezinho / Jim Ward: Live From the Jersey Pines
ByIf a big band does not have a first rate rhythm section and a pretty capable lead trumpet, all bets are off. While Mike Nigro does not get any big solos, he has technique, time and taste. He, pianist Demetrios Pappas and bassist Joe Jacobs really make this thing go, and on the closing tune, "The Blues Up and Down," Nigro and Jacobs give a clinic. Same for (presumably) lead trumpet Jim Ward, who handles a demanding book more or less flawlessly. Jacobs is just omnipresent, the way some of the best big band players, like Chuck Andrus were. Or listen to "When Sunny Gets Blue" where sax players Skip Spratt and Denis DeBlasio really get all the support any instrumentalist could want.
"Ruby Baby" feels a lot like one of Woody Herman's late 1960s bands, and gives Pappas a chance to solo. The trumpets and trombones put a listener in mind of the classic interaction that Herman's bands often got, well defined, sharp. Speaking of trumpets, there is an abundance of fine players, whether playing as a section or soloing. Joe Scannella on "Impossible" really plays pretty, and frames the swing section beautifully, such a lovely tone and a singing upper register. Tony DeSantis gets a crack at "Body and Soul" and acquits himself well. Ward and Scannella both get in on "People" and it hard not to wish that Ed Vezinho would not simply let them cut loose for a couple of choruses. The harmonized duo here is all well and good, but let these guys blow. "Deni's Lament" is DiBlasio's feature, and puts to bed a lingering image of a younger Denis from years ago playing some wild stuff like "Jack Usage" with Maynard Ferguson. He has aged nicely. "It Could Happen to You" gives the trombones some space, features a great sax soli, and another DeSantis solo.
There was a time, many years ago, when some radio personalities in Philadelphia used to wish for a big band comeback. One of those people was the indefatigable Jack Pyle, who had been lucky enough to see all the great outfits of the Swing Era live. Occasionally, an aging listener wonders what Pyle would have made of some contemporary big bands, where the musicians seem capable of playing anything as long as nothing as vulgar as excitement got in the way. Pyle would have dug this band once he wrapped his head around its more modern harmonies. It may be tight and well mannered, but boring, certainly not. The smart aleck doit ending to "Skylark" is an appropriate punctuation mark (!). All things considered, some of us might rather be in the Jersey Pines tonight if the Vezinho / Ward outfit were in the house.
Track Listing
My Man Rob; When Sunny Gets Blue; Ruby Baby; Impossible; Body and Soul; People; Den's Lament; It Could Happen to You; Till There Was You; Skylark; Del Sasser; The Blues Up and Down.
Personnel
Ed Vezinho
arrangerHoward Isaacson
saxophone, altoJoe Vettori
saxophone, altoSkip Spratt
saxophone, tenorBob Quaile
saxophone, tenorDenis DiBlasio
saxophone, baritoneJim Ward
trumpetJoe Scannella
trumpetTony DeSantis
trumpetJon Barnes
trumpetClint Sharman
tromboneRich Goldstein
guitarBob Suttmann
tromboneJoe Jacobs
trombone, bassDemetrios Pappas
pianoDouglas Mapp
bassMike Nigro
drumsAlbum information
Title: Live From the Jersey Pines | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Self Produced
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