Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bob Mintzer & WDR Big Band Cologne: Soundscapes

18

Bob Mintzer & WDR Big Band Cologne: Soundscapes

By

View read count
Bob Mintzer & WDR Big Band Cologne: Soundscapes
Saxophonist Bob Mintzer, a New Yorker who left home long ago to see the world, is a professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music and chief conductor of the world-class WDR Big Band in Cologne, Germany, with whom he has recorded Soundscapes, a luminous showcase for his singular talents as composer, arranger and soloist. As anyone who is familiar with Mintzer—through big-band recordings, his quartet the Yellowjackets or other avenues—clearly understands, he will find a way to swing, whether composing, arranging, playing tenor or EWI (electronic wind instrument), which he employs on three of the album's ten tracks.

Mintzer also leans toward Latin, salsa and Afro-Cuban genres, a fondness exemplified by "The Conversation," "Montuno" and "Canyon Winds," whose irrepressible rhythms serve as secure launching pads for soloists Mintzer, tenor saxophonist Paul Heller, pianist Billy Test, trombonist Andy Hunter, alto saxophonist Karolina Strassmayer and trumpeter Andy Haderer. Elsewhere, Mintzer shares blowing space with Test on "New Look" and "One Music," Heller on "A Reprieve" and "Whack," and alto saxophonist Johan Horlen on "Stay Up." Horlen and trumpeter Ruud Breuls are out front on the well-named "Herky Jerky," Strassmayer and Breuls on the straight-from-the-hip finale, "VM" (shorthand for Vince Mendoza, a colleague at USC and chief conductor of the Metropole Orchestra in the Netherlands).

Mintzer, who has written more than five hundred big-band arrangements, knows how to make any ensemble shine while seducing the listeners' ears, and Soundscapes is no exception to that rule, starting with a brace of superb new charts, "A Reprieve" and "The Conversation," each of which lays down a swinging groove as it sets the plate for the entrees to come. The fiery "Stay Up" quickens the momentum before the even-tempered "Montuno" lowers the temperature and "Whack" lets Mintzer explore fresh sonic and rhythmic roadways, using woodwinds and muted brass to fashion an off-center yet thoroughly charming melange he labels "atonal funk." The rhythmically robust "Canyon Winds" precedes the swift, angular "Herky Jerky" (based on the Gershwins' "I Got Rhythm"), balladic "New Look," high-octane "One Music" (written by Mintzer for the Yellowjackets and adapted to the larger orchestra) and closing "VM."

Perhaps the best way to describe Soundscapes is to say that it represents Mintzer at his best, and that the WDR Big Band helps make his best sound even better. That should be enough to whet any jazz enthusiast's appetite.

Track Listing

A Reprieve; The Conversation; Stay Up; Montuno; Whack; Canyon Winds; Herky Jerky; New Look; One Music; VM.

Personnel

Bob Mintzer
saxophone
Wim Both
trumpet
Rob Bruynen
trumpet
Andy Haderer
trumpet
Ruud Breuls
trumpet
Johan Horlen
saxophone, alto
Karolina Strassmayer
saxophone, alto
Paul Heller
saxophone, tenor
Olivier Peters
saxophone, tenor
Jens Neufang
saxophone, baritone
Ludwig Nuss
trombone
Raphael Klemm
trombone
Andy Hunter
trombone
Mattis Cederberg
trombone, bass
Marcio Doctor
percussion

Album information

Title: Soundscapes | Year Released: 2021 | 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.