Art Bouton

Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra: Invitation

by Jack Bowers
April 8, 2017

Here's how to make sure a five-star big-band album receives a four-star review: assemble a group of the finest musicians within a stone's throw or two of the chosen locale, place them in a recording studio, hand them superlative charts to read --then add vocals. In this case three of same, pretty much undermining what is an otherwise sharp and likeable enterprise. That's not meant to disparage Heidi Schmidt whose vocalizing on the Denver-based CJRO's debut album, ...