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DePaul University Jazz Ensemble: Salutes Woody Herman
by Nicholas F. Mondello
Anecdotes of all kinds about bandleader Woody Herman-- whose centennial is celebrated this year--circulate among musicians and fans to this day. From them, we deduce that “The Chopper" had a straight-razor tongue, wry humor, and less-than-zero patience for disingenuous fan-fawning over himself or his band's celebrity. Even as road-weary big bands faded from the scene and Herman's unfortunate financial straits overwhelmed him, with Woody it was always about the music. All ways. With Salutes Woody Herman, The DePaul ...
read moreThe Depaul University Jazz Ensemble: Salutes Woody Herman
by Jack Bowers
Were he still with us, bandleader Woody Herman would have turned one hundred years young on May 16, 2013. What better way, then, to mark the occasion than by doing something that made “the Chopper" happier than anything else: swinging hard and often. Chicago's DePaul University Jazz Ensemble does precisely that on this superb album comprised of eleven memorable themes associated with Herman and his Herds from the 1940s and '50s, thanks in part to the towering presence of a ...
read moreDePaul University Jazz Ensemble: Shade Street
by Dave Nathan
In addition to heading the Chicago Skyliners Big Band, Bill O'Connell has a record label which he uses not only for his own productions but from time to time to put to disc the offerings of local university jazz groups. This time he has captured two separate sessions by the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble. Under the leadership of Jazz Study Coordinator Bob Lark and a hefty faculty roster, this group offers an hour of challenging and exciting music. Perhaps not ...
read moreDePaul University Jazz Ensemble: Shade Street
by Dave Nathan
In addition to heading the Chicago Skyliners Big Band, Bill O'Connell has a record label which he uses not only for his own productions but from time to time to put to disc the offerings of local university jazz groups. This time it's two separate sessions by the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble. Under the leadership of Jazz Study Coordinator Bob Lark and a hefty faculty roster, this group offers an hour of challenging and exciting music. Perhaps not on the ...
read moreDePaul University Jazz Ensemble: Shade Street
by Jack Bowers
One of the things I admire most about contemporary college Jazz ensembles is their willingness to expand the repertoire beyond the tried–and–true standards, whether Jazz or popular, and address themselves to newer compositions, and not necessarily those whose waters are most easily navigated. On Shade Street, director Bob Lark’s impressive ensembles (1997–98) from DePaul University in downtown Chicago unravel sophisticated charts by Tom Matta, Vance Thompson, Mike Abene, Doug Angelaccio and Lark himself before wrapping things up with Johnny Mercer/Jimmy ...
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