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The Len Pierro Jazz Orchestra: As I Was Saying

by Jack Bowers
Remember the good old days before high-tech hardware and software seized control and the country's leading big bands were recorded in a studio or in concert employing a wide dynamic range with no overdubs or splices to enhance the performance? Composer and arranger Len Pierro does, which is why he planned As I Was Saying, the second album with his Philadelphia-based Jazz Orchestra, to mirror those classic recordings by the likes of Woody Herman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich ...
Continue ReadingNick Lombardelli: Secret Suite

by David A. Orthmann
Nick Lombardelli's debut recording as a leader heralds the arrival of a prodigious composer, arranger and instrumentalist. Secret Suite is a five-part work that deftly fuses composed material and the improvisations of nearly everyone in an eight-piece band, including drummer Matt Scarano who initiates Solid Ground" and caps off A New View," the suite's final movement. Utilizing jazz and classical techniques, Lombardelli writes vivid melodies that evoke a variety of moods, often stretches his compositions beyond easily ...
Continue ReadingNick Lombardelli: Secret Suite

by Kyle Simpler
It's easy to see the influence of blues and popular music in jazz. After all, many jazz standards were originally popular songs, and blues is where jazz music originated. Classical music, though, has also featured prominently in jazz, but it doesn't always get the same level of recognition. However, some of the greatest jazz musicians and composers, such as Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, and Dave Brubeck have all been influenced by classical music. In keeping with this tradition, Nick Lombardelli's ...
Continue ReadingThe Len Pierro Jazz Orchestra: The Third Quarter

by Edward Blanco
Flourtown, PA native Len Pierro unveils one monster big band album that will be reverberating well beyond the boundaries of Pennsylvania and from radio studios throughout the jazz landscape for quite a long time. The Third Quarter is The Len Pierro Jazz Orchestra's recent offering and what an offering of fresh original compositions and re-imagined jazz standards it is. The 63-year-old saxophonist has produced one heck of an album of traditional straight-ahead swinging jazz that defines what ...
Continue ReadingThe Len Pierro Jazz Orchestra: The Third Quarter

by Jack Bowers
Any big-band album that opens with a rollicking Four Brothers-style saxophone soli is all but guaranteed to capture one's ear and interest. As it turns out, the buoyant Fill in the Gap," on which the sax section sparkles, is but the first of many sonic delights on The Third Quarter, a marvelous new CD by Philadelphia-based composer / arranger Len Pierro and his world-class Jazz Orchestra. Simply put, there are no discernible blemishes to mar a bright and picturesque tour ...
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The Way It Was
From: As I Was SayingBy Joe Anderson
The Straggler
From: Secret SuiteBy Joe Anderson
Fill In The Gap
From: The Third QuarterBy Joe Anderson