StarThrower Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Who do you like to listen to? Some of my favorites are: Either/Orchestra, especially Radium thru More Beautiful Then Death Pierre Dorge & New Jungle Orchestra-Giraf, China Jungle John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble-Eternal Interlude Carla Bley-European Tour 1977 Sam Rivers-Crystals Frank Zappa-Make A Jazz Noise Here, great band while it lasted. Mingus Big Band Exploding Star Orchestra Any others I should know about? Quote
CJ Shearn Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 (edited) I know a music educator friend of mine really likes Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, but I see on their latest album there are guests such as Dave Koz which makes me want to run the other way! Personally I really like the SF Jazz Collective although that's an octet but the writing is very expansive like big band writing. I also like the little I've heard of Bob Mintzer's big band, Jaco's Word of Mouth Band and when Mike Brecker had the Quindectet, that was nice also. Edited May 27, 2011 by CJ Shearn Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Mike Westbrook's many orchestras. Mike Gibbs various ensembles Colin Towns - British and German orchestras/Big Bands Italian Instabile Orchestra Vienna Art Ensemble London Jazz Composers Orchestra Maria Schneider's orchestras Christine Jensen Keith Tippett's occasional larger groups Tiziano Tononi Orchestre National de Jazz Kenny Wheeler's larger groups Maritime Jazz Orchestra ... and many, many more Quote
StarThrower Posted May 27, 2011 Author Report Posted May 27, 2011 I have Westbrook's Citadel/Room 315. I love Kenny Wheeler's playing, but have not heard his big band stuff. I have one album by Italian Instabile Orchestra. Pretty intense music! Quote
Free For All Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 To those already listed I'll add: Darcy James Argue Guillermo Klein Django Bates Already mentioned, but I'm a big fan of Kenny Wheeler's large ensemble writing. Not really big band, but I also really like Vince Mendoza's large ensemble writing. Sorry to say I'm not a fan of Gordon Goodwin's big band. Some really great LA players, but his writing doesn't interest me. It's like cartoon music for big band, very flashy but little of substance AFAIC. I have Westbrook's Citadel/Room 315. I love Kenny Wheeler's playing, but have not heard his big band stuff. I have one album by Italian Instabile Orchestra. Pretty intense music! The Kenny Wheeler I'd recommend starting with is his "Music for Large and Small Ensembles" (ECM). Great music! Quote
StarThrower Posted May 27, 2011 Author Report Posted May 27, 2011 I'm always game for more of Wheeler's music. Will look into the ECM release, thanks! Quote
Leeway Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Globe Unity Orchestra ICP Orchestra Brotzman Chicago Tentet Evan Parker Acoustic-Electric Ensemble (or is it Electro-Acoustic? can never remember) William Parker fronts some large ensembles that I think qualify as "big band." Quote
ejp626 Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 I'd say Toshiko Akiyoshi's big band qualifies. I understand she's broken it up (at least I think so), but she has quite a number of recordings, including those on the Mosaic Select. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 ICP Orchestra Whoa... -- the Insane Clown Posse has an orchestra? What miracles do not cease? Quote
Teasing the Korean Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Modern or contemporary? My favorite modern big bands are Kenton, Rugolo, Oliver Nelson, Dizzy Gillespie (with Lalo Schifrin arrangements), Chico O'Farrill, Sauter-Finegan, Quincy Jones, Andrei Hodeir, Gerald Wilson... Quote
BFrank Posted May 28, 2011 Report Posted May 28, 2011 Orrin Evans' Captain Black Big Band Bobby Sanabria Mingus Big Band John Hollenbeck Gerald Wilson is still recording (at 90+ years of age)! Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted May 28, 2011 Report Posted May 28, 2011 (edited) How did I miss Django Bates? Unfortunately the Loose Tubes albums from the 80s where he began have never got to CD (apart from the third which is the least interesting) - there is a recent live disc from the time that gives a nice snapshot. Also a marvellous - but being Bates, very eccentric - one with mainly Danish musicians called 'Spring is Here (Shall We Dance?)' Love Klein too. Very impressed by John Hollenbeck's larger groups too. I'd support the 'Music for Large and Small Ensembles' rec for Kenny W. (though half of disc 2 is for smaller groups from the main orchestra - equally wonderful). Wheeler can also be heard on the two Maritime Jazz Orchestra records - its essentially Azimuth (Wheeler, John Taylor, Norma Winstone) set against this Canadian orchestra. Try the recently reissued 'The Cortege' for Westbrook at his peak. If you search under Westbrook you'll find a recent discussion about it. And then there's Bob Brookmeyer - he's written a lot for larger forces in recent year. Very different from his 50s/60s music. Elegiac, almost Mahlerian in places. 'Spirit Music' is a gem. One I regularly recommend is Tiziano Tononi's 'We Did It! We did It!' - a 3CD celebration of Roland Kirk's music for large Italian forces but with lots of other references too - Hendrix, Bob Marley etc. Utterly thrilling. Great for very long car journeys (perhaps less great for your passengers!)! [Love that 1977 European band Carla Bley too - to my ears one of her last really distinctive albums. Very fond of Ballad of the Fallen with Charlie Haden too from a bit later) Edited May 28, 2011 by A Lark Ascending Quote
BillF Posted May 28, 2011 Report Posted May 28, 2011 and Bill Hollman. Yes, Bill Holman is still with us and has certainly kept pace with the times. Quote
king ubu Posted May 28, 2011 Report Posted May 28, 2011 no one mentioned the Willem Breuker Kollektief yet! Quote
Ted O'Reilly Posted May 28, 2011 Report Posted May 28, 2011 Gotta put some veteran Canadian talent in here: Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, and Phil Nimmons' big band "Nimmons 'N 9 + 6". And these days, a Boss Brass alumnus, John MacLeod leads his Rex Hotel Orchesta in regular performances, and has just won a Juno Award (the Canadian 'Grammy') for their first release. It's excellent, highly recommended, and available through his website at http://www.johnsjazz.ca/ And let us not forget the Thad Jones - Mel Lewis band, and its later re-generations... Quote
StarThrower Posted May 28, 2011 Author Report Posted May 28, 2011 I'm amazed nobody mentioned Gil Evans. I really dig the Individualism Of Gil Evans recorded in 1964. Quote
Teasing the Korean Posted May 28, 2011 Report Posted May 28, 2011 I'm amazed nobody mentioned Gil Evans. I really dig the Individualism Of Gil Evans recorded in 1964. I meant to mention him in my post. The height of modernism, so much more modern than many contemporary arrangers. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted May 28, 2011 Report Posted May 28, 2011 (edited) Sam Rivers-Crystals Sam's current Florida big band is outrageous, based on this 2006 release: Sam Rivers - Rivbea Orchestra: Aurora They're also the subject of a forthcoming Mosaic Select due out next month... Sam Rivers & The Rivbea Orchestra - Trilogy (3 CDs) (Release Date: End of June 2011) By the time Sam Rivers was able to document his orchestral writing in 1974 (on the Impulse album "Crystals") at the tender age of 51, he was best known for leading a magnificent, purely improvised trio devoid of all written music. But composition was (and is) as much a part of his incessantly fertile mind as improvisation. His densely-layered and beautifully voiced multi-sectional orchestra pieces burn with an intensity that never forsakes the music's beauty. Rivers seamlessly integrates improvisation into the written score. Solos are distributed democratically as effective, concise statements. In 1992, Rivers moved to Orlando, Florida where he quickly formed another powerful improvising trio and set about seeking personnel to form an orchestra for the music that he was constantly writing. After two all-star albums for RCA Records in 1998 ("Inspiration" and "Culmination"), recorded in New York, an Orlando edition of the Rivbea Orchestra started to emerge in the early 2000s. Drawn from teachers and students at surrounding colleges, frustrated members of various Walt Disney World aggregations and retired veterans of orchestras like Tommy Dorsey and Woody Herman, Sam Rivers crafted a first-class orchestra to realize his music. In 2007, he issued the new Rivbea Orchestra's first recording "Aurora" on his own Rivbea label. When we heard the album, we called Sam to offer our jaw-dropping praise, he told us essentially there is plenty more where that came from and set about sifting through hours of studio and live recordings to cull the three CDs of previously unreleased material contained in this set. The results are forward-thinking and electrifying. Edited May 28, 2011 by Rooster_Ties Quote
Peter Johnson Posted May 28, 2011 Report Posted May 28, 2011 The Vanguard orchestra, with our own Michael Weiss--a super treat any Monday you're in downtown Manhattan! Quote
B. Goren. Posted May 29, 2011 Report Posted May 29, 2011 Dont forget the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra (who later became the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra). This band had its own unique style. Quote
medjuck Posted May 29, 2011 Report Posted May 29, 2011 I'm amazed nobody mentioned Gil Evans. I really dig the Individualism Of Gil Evans recorded in 1964. I meant to mention him in my post. The height of modernism, so much more modern than many contemporary arrangers. I certainly would have mentioned Gil Evans but I presumed this was about active bands. BTW I even liked the Gil Evans band after Gil died. Didn't think I would but saw them once at Ronnie Scott's in London and they were great. Quote
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