By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Lush
Without musicians such as
trumpeter/composer/arranger Joe Clark and drummer/composer/arranger Jeff
Hamilton, we wouldn’t be treated to big band jazz very often. Thankfully,
every once in awhile, the likes of Clark and Hamilton get an urge to revisit
the days when those wonderful “large groups” ruled the roost in the world of
music.
Clark and Hamilton took the
effort to create the arrangements, obtain the necessary financial backing, and
gather the musicians to rehearse and produce albums like the subject of this
review. Sometimes bands like this actually play a concert or two, but
often the album created during the recording session is the sole result of all
of the effort involved. What a shame!
Lush is
such an endeavor, and it’s a winner. This is truly a big band: five reeds, five
trumpets and flugelhorns, four trombones including a bass instrument, and a
rhythm section with piano, guitar, bass and drums. The drummer is Hamilton
himself: simply one of the best at his instrument. The fact that this
group never had performed together, before the first rehearsal, is proof
of their excellence as musicians.
The tunes on the menu
include five standards — “Lush Life,” “Well, You Needn’t,” “Tenderly,” “Yesterday’s Gardenias” and “Samba de Martelo” — and three originals specifically created this
album. Many members of this august group are featured soloists in various
tracks, and each is excellent.
As you absorb this
performance, you’ll note that it does
come across as a concert effort; yes, it definitely swings, but the excitement
generated by live bands — say, those fronted by Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton or
Don Ellis — is missing. Be that as it may, these guys are outstanding. Let’s
hope that they, and others like them, continue to produce this kind of music.
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