By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Pinnacle
Some
individuals are blessed with a single talent that sets them apart from others;
very few folks are able to use that talent to expand their lives in ways that
not only affect their own future, but that of others encountered along the way.
Ted Howe is one such individual.
He
began as a lover of music, particularly jazz; he took piano lessons from Henry
Smith, one of the founders of the Berklee College of Music. Howe began as a
student and eventually became a professor, teaching theory, improvisation and
arranging.
He
was only 24 years old.
After
some military service, he returned to civilian life and got a job at The Surf
Supper Club, a major Boston venue that often featured major artists. Howe often
created arrangements for them, in addition to performing with his own groups. Those
years were key to the development of his skills as a composer and producer.
His
base combo is a trio, which he often uses to produce shows — and albums — that
feature music by icons such as Duke Ellington, Elton John and Dave Brubeck. Much
of that work has included dance theater and ballets.
Pinnacle, Howe’s newest
CD, features a 13-piece jazz orchestra that uses a unique combination of
instruments. The rhythm section contains a piano (two artists share that chair),
bass, guitar, drums and another percussionist; the reed section consists of
only three musicians, but they switch between flute, four clarinet versions,
and soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxes. Finally, a “heavy” brass section features
trumpet/flugelhorn and as many as four trombones.
Howe
composed and arranged all the charts in a “classical” jazz format that features
four individual pieces and a three-movement suite. The styles vary from swing
and funk, to Latin and bop, done in different meters. And, oh my, how they
swing!
It’s
impossible to pick favorite tracks, although I’m blown away by those that
feature bassist John Patitucci: “Presto for Two Trombones” and “Jazz Etude for Three
Clarinets.” The latter chart brought back memories of Benny Goodman’s classic
recording of “Sing, Sing, Sing,” with Patitucci’s bass doing the Krupa drum
lines, battling Goodman’s clarinet line as a trio.
This
is a truly great CD, among the best I’ve reviewed in years.
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