Monday, May 09, 2005

Get well listening

Shouldn't be surprised that "Get Well Soon" from Bob Brookmeyer's New Art Orchestra makes me think of Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band, one of my all-time favorites. Brookmeyer was a member of, and did most of the arranging for, the Mulligan group.

"Get Well Soon" has the same kind of rollicking and intricate tunes with a bigger sound, as befits a bigger band, and more solo diversity since there's no giant like Mulligan to dominate. (Brookmeyer mostly conducts.) My only reservation: I couldn't find this in anything but expensive SACD format, at least at Border's, which may be fine if you have an SACD player but equates to price gouging for the majority of buyers. With Dave Holland's big-band efforts, this is the best of the genre currently.

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