Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » NOJO (Neufeld Occhipinti Jazz Orchestra) with Don Byron:...

178

NOJO (Neufeld Occhipinti Jazz Orchestra) with Don Byron: You Are Here

NOJO (Neufeld Occhipinti Jazz Orchestra) with Don Byron: You Are Here
Canadian’s - guitarist Michael Occhipinti and pianist Paul Neufeld are well-known in their native homeland and now that American jazz label “Koch” has released, You Are There, the large ensemble, “NOJO” (Neufeld Occhipinti Jazz Orchestra) should soon be the recipients of some widespread attention with this fine release! An added bonus here is the appearance of clarinetist Don Byron who is the prime soloist throughout these thirteen Neufeld and Occhipinti compositions.

With the opener, “Grassfire” it becomes immediately apparent that this sixteen-piece orchestra performs with the flexibility and demeanor of a smaller modern jazz unit. Here, the band eschews convention as they provide the listener with multidimensional frameworks consisting of - sounds of triumph, African rhythms and flowing thematic developments along with Neufeld’s ethnic yet lyrical performances on accordion. However, Byron and soprano saxophonist Perry White heighten the intensity with loose yet sprightly interplay. The three-part, “Animal Farm” features Byron playfully tapping his keys amid sonorous themes, a funk/rock groove accelerated by Occhipinti’s rhythmic chord progressions, sinewy tenor sax soloing by Perry White, doses of whimsy and sinuous horn charts. While Byron also blows furious hard-edged lines on the brief yet lighthearted swing-tango piece titled, “Salmon Snacks”.

Occhipinti dedicates “Zawashorius” (Zawinul, Shorter, Pastorius) to – Weather Report – as the band molds this expansive and thoroughly memorable arrangement into the image and likeness of the time-honored fusion band, while they pursue flirtatious themes via heartfelt passages and hypnotic circular-like movements on “In Memoria”. Warm choruses and soft melodies prevail on Neufeld’s “Mainland” as trumpeter Kevin Turcotte accentuates the sublime decor with smooth lines as Byron’s husky bass clarinet counters the shifting melodies and ambient atmosphere yet engages in frisky dialogue with alto saxophonist Ernie Tollar. Hence, a persuasive and perhaps fitting climax to an altogether diverse outing. Basically, this recording should not go unnoticed by fans of Don Byron and modern day big band enthusiasts. (Strongly recommended)

* * * * (out of * * * * *)

Personnel

New Orleans Jazz Orchestra
band / ensemble / orchestra

Don Byron; clarinet: Ernie Tollar; alto & soprano sax, flute: Dan Bone; alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute: Sean O

Album information

Title: You Are Here | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: KOCH International 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.