Rating:
Genre:
Jazz
Release Date: 03/24/2009
Run Time: 0:00
After recording a number of albums during the 1960s and '70s, trumpeter
Charles Tolliver waited nearly two decades to record as a leader before he released his striking big-band date
With Love in 2007. This 2009 release, recorded live at the
Blue Note, is a potent follow-up, though with substantial changes in personnel. His exotic, dramatic
"On the Nile" might suggest the influence of
McCoy Tyner's works of the '70s, though it was premiered in 1965 by
Jackie McLean and previously recorded by its composer in a big-band setting a few years later. This updated version showcases tenorist
Marcus Strickland, pianist
Stanley Cowell, and the leader in a fiery performance.
Tolliver's imaginative scoring of brass and reeds in his
"Emperor March," makes it a hip tune that begins as a march but detours into several different avenues, featuring potent solos by alto saxophonist
Todd Bashore, the promising young trombonist
Michael Dease, and pianist
Anthony Wonsey.
Tolliver takes over the solo spotlight in
"Chedlike," a perky tribute from the '80s to his then-young son, though this is surprisingly its premiere recording.
Billy Harper shines on tenor in
Tolliver's passionate setting of
Billy Eckstine's ballad
"I Want to Talk About You," a piece forever associated with
John Coltrane's famous live recording, which
Harper can't possibly avoid alluding to in part. Beautifully recorded and mixed with an attentive audience, this is an essential release for modern big-band aficionados.
~Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
;)
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