Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » David White Jazz Orchestra: The Chase

6

David White Jazz Orchestra: The Chase

By

View read count
David White Jazz Orchestra: The Chase
Flashpoint, released three years ago (in 2011), introduced listeners to a splendid New York-based orchestra led by composer / trombonist David White. On The Chase, White proves that Flashpoint was indeed no fluke, guiding what is essentially the same ensemble through its paces on half a dozen of his admirable charts. There is one sizable difference, which will be addressed in due course; in musical terms, however, White and the orchestra are as a rule beyond reproach. He writes tasteful melodies, and the orchestra carries out his game plan to the letter. Brass and reeds are sharp and focused, while the rhythm section—firmly anchored by drummer Ryan Cavanaugh—keeps the power plant running smoothly and the machinery in place.

White's grandfather gave him the nickname Mister Shepherd, and the session opens suitably with "Mister Shepherd's Misadventures," a fast-moving theme with virile solos by tenor saxophonist Sam Dillon and trumpeter Miki Hirose. "And the People Could Fly" takes wing behind emphatic statements by pianist Nick Consol and trumpeter Pablo Masis, after which tenor Sam Taylor strides forward to savor "The Sweetest Bite of Cherry," whose appetizing rhythms vary from straight 4/4 to a more laid-back quarter time. "Persistence," the album's most strident theme (in fact, the only one that veers even modestly from harmonious), was inspired, White says, by minimalist composer Steve Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians" (one more than White's orchestra employs). White takes his lone solo there, and it's a good one, deftly complementing forceful testimony by Cavan and alto Andrew Gould who solos in a lighter mood with trombonist Dan Reitz on the funky "Shakedown." Trombonist Rick Parker and alto Omar Daniels are front and center on the seductive finale, "Blues for Sally Draper," named for a character on White's favorite television series, Mad Men.

Musically, one couldn't ask for much more than White and his orchestra deliver. On the other hand, it is hard to endorse without caveat a CD whose playing time is a scant thirty-four minutes, less than half of a disc's storage capacity of eighty minutes (hence the "sizable difference" alluded to earlier). That's a full forty minutes less than White's earlier enterprise, Flashpoint. What we are left with is an otherwise exemplary album that spans only thirty-four minutes, none of which is misspent. If that doesn't bother you, go for it.

Track Listing

Mister Shepherd’s Misadventures; And The People Can Fly; The Sweetest Bite of Cherry; Persistence; The Shakedown; Blues for Sally Draper.

Personnel

David White
composer / conductor

David White: music director, composer, trombone; Andrew Gould: alto saxophone; Omar Daniels: alto saxophone; Sam Taylor: tenor saxophone; Sam Dillon: tenor saxophone; Tim Stocker: baritone saxophone; Miki Hirose: trumpet; Colin Brigstocke: trumpet; Alicia Rau: trumpet; Pablo Masis: trumpet; Rick Parker: trombone; Dan Reitz: trombone; Aliana Alster: trombone; Rob Stattel: bass trombone; Nick Consol: piano; Phil Rowan: bass; Ryan Cavan: drums.

Album information

Title: The Chase | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Mr Shepherd Records

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.