Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Toshiyuki Miyama and the New Herd: New Herd / Take the "A" Train

226

Toshiyuki Miyama and the New Herd: New Herd / Take the "A" Train

By

View read count
Toshiyuki Miyama and the New Herd: New Herd / Take the "A" Train
In case one harbors any doubt about the kind of big–band Jazz championed by Toshiyuki Miyama’s Tokyo–based ensemble, the phrase “New Herd” should be a dead giveaway. The band is forged in the swaggering image of Woody Herman’s legendary Thundering Herds, an imprint that is quickly borne out on these two discs, recorded in 1974 and ’75, respectively. New Herd was produced in a Tokyo studio in September ’74 to commemorate the band’s well–received performance that year at the Monterey Jazz Festival; “A” Train, completed the following May (in the same studio but with an audience), has been reissued on CD to mark the centenary in April ’99 of Duke Ellington’s birth. Unfortunately, as both began life as vinyl LPs, their combined playing time (84:08) is only modestly beyond the limits of a single compact disc. The similarity to Herman is indelibly etched on “Donna Lee” and “Sniper’s Snoose,” the buoyant swingers that open New Herd. Woody would’ve loved ‘em, and so would Buddy Rich, as drummer Isao Yomoda is clearly one of his ardent disciples. The tempo (but not the intensity) slows for “Furisode” and “Kappa Shijo” before Chick Corea’s mercurial “La Fiesta” (with a galvanizing solo courtesy of pianist Kiyoshi Takano) and the New Herd’s theme song wrap up a brief but consistently rewarding session. The character of the second disc, as one would reasonably expect from a concert devoted to Ellington, is quite different, with subdued pastels replacing the more flamboyant colors espoused by Herman. “Mood Indigo” and “Sentimental Mood” are as seductive as one could want, with wonderful solos by Takano and alto saxophonist Koji Suzuki on “Indigo,” trombonist Osamo Shiamura on “Mood.” The title selection, whose dynamic arrangement by guitarist KozaburoYamaki is based on Betty Roché’s well–known vocal, ends the “Ellington segment” of the concert, and the Herd completes the program with Yamaki’s pastoral “Country Blues” and an extended reading of Freddie Hubbard’s “Gibraltar.” While each of these discs is admirable in its own way, if pressed I’d give the nod to “A” Train because of its longer playing time, picturesque charts and enterprising solos. But either one is recommended.

Track listing: New Herd — Theme; Donna Lee; Sniper’s Snoose; Furisode (A Long–Sleeved Kimono); Kappa Shijo (A Poetic Sentiment for a Kappa); La Fiesta; Theme (36:00). “A” Train — Mood Indigo; In a Sentimental Mood; Take the “A” Train; Country Blues; Gibraltar (48:08).

Personnel

New Herd

Album information

Title: New Herd / Take the "A" Train | Year Released: 1999 | Record Label: Three Blind Mice

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.