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The Swiss Jazz School Orchestra
Swiss Jazz Orchestra: Sincerely Yours
by Jack Bowers
The world-class Swiss Jazz Orchestra produced the 2-CD set Sincerely Yours to mark its tenth anniversary in 2013. As is the SJO's custom, the nineteen tracks were taped during a series of stellar concert performances spanning those years, showcasing the orchestra's excellence as a unit and its roster of impressive soloists performing compositions and arrangements by some of the brightest stars, past and present, in the jazz firmament. And even though the ensemble needs no help, a number of renowned ...
read moreSwiss Jazz Orchestra: Live at Jazzfestival Bern
by Jack Bowers
Live at Jazzfestival Bern (Mons) Some big-band albums are heated and brassy, others cool and understated, while a precious few simply cast a mesmerizing spell. Live at Jazzfestival Bern," recorded in May 2013 by the unerring Swiss Jazz Orchestra, drops anchor squarely in the last of those realms, thanks in part to the ensemble's perceptive choice of material and even more so to the conclusive brilliance of guest artists Paquito D'Rivera, Claudio Roditi and Michael Zisman.
read moreThe Swiss Jazz School Orchestra: Shades of Time
by Jack Bowers
Five years have passed since last I saw and heard the Swiss Jazz Orchestra in New York City, and this latest album (there is at least one other, Live in Montreux, that I know of) serves as a welcome reminder of what an outstanding ensemble it is. The SJSO, ably directed by world-class trumpeter Bert Joris, has devised a provocative game plan this time around, using a different professional soloist on each of the album’s nine selections, starting with Joris ...
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