Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bob Mintzer Big Band: Old School: New Lessons

312

Bob Mintzer Big Band: Old School: New Lessons

By

View read count
Bob Mintzer Big Band: Old School: New Lessons
Tackling tradition and applying innovation has long been a hallmark of Bob Mintzer's career. He's paid his dues, both in old school circles and in the realm of contemporary jazz. As evidenced through his big band's 2004 and '05 appearances in Pittsburgh, new lessons continue to bring joy to both creator and audience.

With Kurt Elling sitting in with the big band for two numbers and the Yellowjackets sitting in for two others, Mintzer's "new lessons take shape up front and in your face. The guest artists provide unique sounds that simply aren't a part of the traditional big band arrangement.

Elling sings with a casual air, but with an innovative presence. He gives John Coltrane's "Resolution a powerful vocalese interpretation that leads the big band with authority. Scott Wendholt's surging flugelhorn solo complements the singer's driving energy. Elling takes the emotion sky-high as he and the band honor the song's composer appropriately.

Mintzer picks up the EWI for "Mofongo with a Yellowjackets texture that scurries fast and furious. Smooth and cool in appearance, but buzzing like a lethal insect underneath, the interpretation combines inside strength with an outer layer of sweetness.

Mintzer's big band arrangements maintain a firm balance between sections. His use of deep, lower brass pedals along with bass gives "Not Quite Yet a firm foundation upon which his saxophone section rides gracefully. The New Orleans shuffle of "March Majestic allows the band's saxophone section to converse with both brass sections in a rambling affair.

Outstanding soloists on this recommended big band session include Mintzer, trumpeter Terrell Stafford, pianist Phil Markowitz, tenor saxophonist Bob Malach and baritone saxophonist Scott Robinson.

Visit Bob Mintzer on the web.

Track Listing

Not Quite Yet; Mofongo; My One and Only Love; Runferyerlife; Mosaic; Resolution; March Majestic; Black Sand; Go Go.

Personnel

Bob Mintzer
saxophone

Bob Mintzer: tenor saxophone, flute; Peter Yellin, Lawrence Feldman: alto saxophone, flute; Bob Malach: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Scott Robinson: baritone saxophone, clarinet; Scott Wendholt: trumpet, flugelhorn; Bob Millikan, Terrell Stafford, Frank Greene: trumpet; Michael Davis, Jason Jackson, Larry Farrell: trombone; David Taylor: bass trombone; Phil Markowitz: piano; Jay Anderson: bass; John Riley: drums; Kurt Elling: vocals on

Album information

Title: Old School: New Lessons | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: MCG Jazz

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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

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.