The Jim Widner Big Band

The Jim Widner Big Band: "Rides Again" Live

by Jack Bowers
May 1, 2000

I first stumbled across bassist Jim Widner’s all–star big band about three years ago, and what a fortunate mishap that was. Rides Again, the band’s third recording and first in front of an audience (at Drury College in Springfield, MO), is as breathtaking as the previous two, and they were nothing short of spectacular. This is a band with power and panache to spare, and Widner’s seasoned campaigners can make an appetizing banquet out of any scraps of music set ...