New England Jazz Ens - It's a Grand Night for Swinging

Review from JRK from HubPages (England): Hats off to those determined souls who ignore the fact that their chosen metier is one of the more demanding disciplines. Running a big band, even when the genre was at it's zenith was hard work and expensive enough; writing the music is a skill that few conquer, putting it all together as a team is another elusive art. Why do they do it? On top of that, one has to decide where one is going when composing and arranging, having made a decision re' presenting n it in a way that communicates with an audience, for example as as an uptempo swing opus or a sensitive ballad. Another skill not necessarily found in other music forms is that of spontaeniously creating music (improvising) within what has been written; jazz musicians who have that skill are not only admired by the listening public but often held in awe by by 'serious' musicians who perform within rigid classical settings that are unforgiving in the need for attention to detail with little or no freedom to extemporise. Such an organisation is the N.E.J.E. A first class modern swing big band that shows all thse skills within an album featuring standard and original arrangements showcasing many of the excellent soloists within the band including John Abercrombie on guitar and Ali Ryerson on flute. Trumpeter Jeff Holmes contributes the sort of fine arrangements that make him a popular composer/arranger with many bands throughout the USA. Vocalist Giacomo Gates has the luxury of performing on three of tracks making this an excellent, all round entertaining CD. Why is jazz and swing music not given more time in the media? Ifr more people could hear it I am sure the fan base would grow. Musicians: Guest Artists: John Abercrombie, Guitar; Giacomo Gates, Vocals; Ali Ryerson, Flute Saxophones: John Mastroianni, Bob DePalma, Michael Leventhal, Larry Dvorin & Lisa LaDone Trumpets: Jeff Holmes, Steve Fitzko, Phil Person & Hank Zorn Trombones: Tim Atherton, Dave Sporny, Ben Griffin & Dave Wampler Piano: Walt Gwardyak Bass: Steve Bulmer Drums: Jon Mele.