Pony Boy All-Star Big Band: This Is Now

This Is Now is a venturous and engaging concert date by the Pony Boy All-Star Big Band, taped in May 2024 at Boxley's jazz club in North Bend, Washington. Pony Boy refers to the band's label, Pony Boy Records, while the term All-Star is, as always, in the eye (and ear) of the beholder. Clearly, there are some stars in this firmament, not least of which is drummer and music director Greg Williamson. Trumpeter Jay Thomas has long been a star on the West Coast, as have alto saxophonist Travis Ranney, baritone Matso Limtiaco, trombonist David Marriott, Jr. and pianist John Hansen, to name only a handful.

That is not meant to discount the others, each of whom deserves sizable praise for the album's admirable substance and spirit. There are, for example, splendid charts by trumpeter Keith Karns ("All the Things I'm Not," "I Fall in Love Too Easily") and trombonist Conner Eisenmenger (his compositions "Inlet" and the concert's powerful opener, "Harrod's Creek") to reinforce those by Limtiaco and Williamson. Limtiaco wrote and arranged "Sabermetic Samba" and scored Jerry Bergonzi's "The Ray," while Williamson arranged Tony Williams' "Geo Rose," which seals the performance, and the first and last movements (21st Century," "Mr. X") of Mordy Ferber's seductive three-part Ferber Suite. Eisenmenger arranged the second movement, "Rabin."

Williamson's drum set is in the forefront on most numbers (with superb brush work on "All the Things"), and he is invariably on the mark, as are his rhythm mates, Hansen and bassist Heather Chriscaden. Limtiaco and Thomas deliver perceptive solos on "All the Things," while Eisenmenger is impeccably showcased on "I Fall in Love Too Easily," Williamson and tenor Chris Fagan on the alluring "Inlet." Tenor Kandin Neri shine with Thomas on "Sabermetric Samba," Marriott with tenor Steve Treseler on "The Ray," two of the concert's several highlights. The gritty "Geo Rose," a superb closer, highlights impressive solos by Hansen, Fagan, soprano Tracy Knoop and trombonist Greg Schroeder before its final fade. As a bonus, the album includes CD/DVD versions of Williamson's stellar arrangements of Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein's "I Won't Dance" and the lovely South American standard, "Bahia."

This Is Now is a pleasurable listening experience from start to finish.