Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dan Radlauer / Ira B. Liss and the Big Band Jazz Machine...

131

Dan Radlauer / Ira B. Liss and the Big Band Jazz Machine: Symphomaniacs

By

View read count
Dan Radlauer / Ira B. Liss and the Big Band Jazz Machine: Symphomaniacs
Symphomaniacs is the third album by the San Diego–based Ira B. Liss Big Band Jazz Machine, the first devoted to works by a single composer, keyboardist Dan Radlauer. Coincidentally, it’s also the best, thanks not only to Radlauer’s arresting charts but to the stellar contributions of guest artists Eric Marienthal, Wayne Bergeron, Bill Armstrong, Dan Higgins and Carl Verheyen. Marienthal’s rhapsodic alto is featured on “Future Presents,” Verheyen’s down–home guitar on “Bar Talk” and “Local Loco.” Bergeron interposes an impressive muted passage on “Slippery When Wet,” while Armstrong shines on “Two Times Again,” “Between the Lines” and (with Marienthal) on “Symphomaniacs.” Higgins, who’s listed as both guest and member of the reed section, is a standout on clarinet and soprano sax (“Camel’s Breath Soup”), tenor (“Two Times Again”) and flute (“Between the Lines”). The Machine boasts a number of capable soloists of its own with tenor David Castel De Oro properly lubricious on “Nice and Greazy,” trombonist Dave Stout likewise on “Greasy Kids’ Stuff,” trumpeter Mark Nicholson, alto Lee Elderton, percussionist Scott Breadman, flutist George Shelby and drummer Charlie McGhee spreading their collective wings on “Gazpacho.” Radlauer’s adroit compositions span the gamut from ballads, blues and flag–wavers to Latin–inspired themes (“Local Loco,” “Gazpacho”) and even a Middle Eastern–flavored entrée (“Camel’s Breath Soup”). Radlauer veers off–course only once, on the forward–leaning title selection, wherein Marienthal and Armstrong’s ethereal solos are accentuated by the composer’s unorthodox maneuvers at the synthesized keyboard. The Machine lives up to its name, operating at peak efficiency throughout, with a special tip of the cap to McGhee for his stouthearted timekeeping. High marks all around, which would be even higher save for the album’s unimpressive 45:52 running time.

Contact: Dan Radlauer, 501 Hanley Place, Los Angeles, CA 90049. Phone 310–440–0055; e–mail [email protected]. Ira B. Liss, Box 16081, San Diego, CA 92176. Phone 619–284–8525; e–mail [email protected]

Personnel

Dan Radlauer
composer / conductor

Album information

Title: Symphomaniacs | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Unknown label

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

Today Yesterday
Anton Mikhailov
Waking Dream
Randy Napoleon
Hold On
Mark Winkler
The Hat with the Grin and the Chuckle
Ben Thomas Tango Project

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.