Large Ensemble Jazz Recordings in the 21st Century

[HutchFan]

Which jazz big band/orchestra recordings since 2000 would you recommend?

Any style: Retro to Avant.  Even "jazz-adjacent" is fine.  Big tent.

Any number of recordings: One or five or whatever number you feel led to share.

Not necessarily the best or most important.   Just music that has brought you some measure of enjoyment.

 

I'm all ears.

 

Edited August 13, 2024 by HutchFan

[Ken Dryden]

 

 

 

[HutchFan]

Nice list!  Thanks Ken! 

 

[medjuck]

Maria Schneider, Michael Gibbs, Mike Westbrook.   Everything  they've done this  century.  Archie Shepp's "I Hear the Sound".  Does 7 or 8 instruments count?    If so, Leila Olivesi's "Astral". 

[JSngry]

* Gerald Wilson on Mack Avenue. Any/All of them.

* Ryan Truesdell Gil Evans project.

* Mark Masters.

* Mark de Clive-Lowe: https://markdeclivelowe.bandcamp.com/album/take-the-space-trane

* 

[HutchFan]

Good stuff!  Thanks, gents! 

 

6 minutes ago, JSngry said:

* Gerald Wilson on Mack Avenue. Any/All of them.

He was my first thought too.   

I'm especially partial to In My Time.

 

[JSngry]

[jlhoots]

I'll 3rd Maria Schneider.

[kh1958]

The Uptown Jazz Orchestra

 

[Quasimado]

Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra "27 East" -  20 piece BB with Dave Pietro etc.  CD recorded 2003 on Lasheda Records

Daughter of Ted ...

[JSngry]

[JSngry]

[soulpope]

ICP Orchestra ....

[mjazzg]

Lots of good ones already. I fourth the Schneiders, and second the Truesdell Gil Evans Project and then might add,

Steve Lehman & Orchestra National de Jazz - 'Ex Machina'

Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit -'Erta Ale'

Barry Guy's Blue Shroud Band, especially 'all this this here'

Martin Kuchen's Angles 10 - 'Today Is Better Than Tomorrow'

Fire! Orchestra - especially 'Echoes'

And everything by Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra

[Rabshakeh]

Here's my list:

Jemeel Moondoc and the Jus Grew Orchestra Spirit House

Bob Belden Black Dahlia

Dave Douglas Witness

Dave Holland Big Band What Goes Around

Barry Guy New Orchestra Inscape: Tableaux

Michael Philip Mossman Meta Physical Mambos - The Orisha Suite

David Murray Latin Big Band Now Is Another Time

Malachi Thompson and Africa Brass with Gary Bartz and Billy Harper Blue Jazz

Paul Dunmall Moksha Big Band I Wish You Peace

Either / Orchestra (Russ Gershon) Ethiopiques 20: Live In Addis

Gerald Wilson Orchestra In My Time

Christopher Dell The World We Knew

Brian Lynch / Eddie Palmieri Project Simpatico

Angles Every Woman Is a Tree 

Carla Bley, Steve Swallow and the Partyka Brass Quintet Carla's Christmas Carols

Fight The Big Bull featuring Steven Bernstein All Is Gladness In the Kingdom

Steve Lehman Octet Travail, Transformation and Flow

Bill Dixon Tapestries for Small Orchestras

Orchestre National de Jazz, Artistic Direction: Daniel Yvinec, Arrangements: Gil Goldstein Piazzolla!

Martin Archer Blue Meat, Black Diesel and Engine Room Favourites

Goran Kajfes Subtropic Arkestra The Reason Why Vol. 2

Steve Lehman Octet Mise en Abime

Angles 9 Injuries

Michael Formanek Ensemble Kolossus The Distance

Orchestra National de Jazz, Olivier Benoit Europa Berlin

Steve Coleman's Natal Eclipse Morphogenesis

Taylor Ho Bynum Enter the Plustet

David Virelles Igbo Alakorin (The Singer's Grove) Vol 1 and 2

Amir ElSaffar's Rivers of Sound Orchestra Not Two

Sun Ra Arkestra (Marshall Allen) Swirling

Alexander Hawkins Togetherness Music

Natural Information Society Community Ensemble with Ari Brown (Joshua Abrams) Since Time Is Gravity

Eve Risser Red Desert Orchestra Eurythmia

If you're doing a research thing then I guess the likes of Snarky Puppy, Clayton / Hamilton, Beats and Pieces, and Maria Schneider ought to be considered too. 

[Niko]

I am just trying to wrap my head around the new Louis Cole album Nothing, featuring the Metropole Orkest... Big tent but also a very large ensemble 

[HutchFan]

6 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

Here's my list:

[...]

That's an awesome list!   Thank you, Rab!!! 

 

[JSngry]

I need to get to that Barry Guy stuff. What I've heard has been wonderful.

[Teasing the Korean]

14 hours ago, JSngry said:

* Ryan Truesdell Gil Evans project.

This.

8 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

Bob Belden Black Dahlia

This.

Edited August 13, 2024 by Teasing the Korean

[mjazzg]

8 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

Here's my list:

Jemeel Moondoc and the Jus Grew Orchestra Spirit House

Bob Belden Black Dahlia

Dave Douglas Witness

Dave Holland Big Band What Goes Around

Barry Guy New Orchestra Inscape: Tableaux

Michael Philip Mossman Meta Physical Mambos - The Orisha Suite

David Murray Latin Big Band Now Is Another Time

Malachi Thompson and Africa Brass with Gary Bartz and Billy Harper Blue Jazz

Paul Dunmall Moksha Big Band I Wish You Peace

Either / Orchestra (Russ Gershon) Ethiopiques 20: Live In Addis

Gerald Wilson Orchestra In My Time

Christopher Dell The World We Knew

Brian Lynch / Eddie Palmieri Project Simpatico

Angles Every Woman Is a Tree 

Carla Bley, Steve Swallow and the Partyka Brass Quintet Carla's Christmas Carols

Fight The Big Bull featuring Steven Bernstein All Is Gladness In the Kingdom

Steve Lehman Octet Travail, Transformation and Flow

Bill Dixon Tapestries for Small Orchestras

Orchestre National de Jazz, Artistic Direction: Daniel Yvinec, Arrangements: Gil Goldstein Piazzolla!

Martin Archer Blue Meat, Black Diesel and Engine Room Favourites

Goran Kajfes Subtropic Arkestra The Reason Why Vol. 2

Steve Lehman Octet Mise en Abime

Angles 9 Injuries

Michael Formanek Ensemble Kolossus The Distance

Orchestra National de Jazz, Olivier Benoit Europa Berlin

Steve Coleman's Natal Eclipse Morphogenesis

Taylor Ho Bynum Enter the Plustet

David Virelles Igbo Alakorin (The Singer's Grove) Vol 1 and 2

Amir ElSaffar's Rivers of Sound Orchestra Not Two

Sun Ra Arkestra (Marshall Allen) Swirling

Alexander Hawkins Togetherness Music

Natural Information Society Community Ensemble with Ari Brown (Joshua Abrams) Since Time Is Gravity

Eve Risser Red Desert Orchestra Eurythmia

If you're doing a research thing then I guess the likes of Snarky Puppy, Clayton / Hamilton, Beats and Pieces, and Maria Schneider ought to be considered too. 

Some on there I definitely need to check out, some I need to revisit too. Great list.

[T.D.]

13 minutes ago, JSngry said:

I need to get to that Barry Guy stuff. What I've heard has been wonderful.

I've amassed a decent amount and it's always delivered. I thought of posting Guy, but don't consider myself enough of a "big band expert" to pontificate. I'll also second the ICP and Moondoc recs above. Probably some William Parker releases qualify, but he makes so many records that I can't keep them straight in my head. 😮

[scooter_phx]

 

Simply a fabulous album.

[Jim Duckworth]

[Jason Bivins]

Threadgill has a couple dynamite large ensemble records over the last 20.

 

Also, don't think Darcy James Argue has made the lists yet. Great stuff.

[mjazzg]

Yes and yes to those two

The large ensemble disc of Anna Webber's 'Idiom' is very good. As is this also featuring Webber

https://webbermorrisbigband.bandcamp.com/album/both-are-true
 

Edited August 13, 2024 by mjazzg